the person of christ in the gospel and the quran - by abd al-fadi

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The Person ofChrist in theGospel and theQuran

Abd al-Fadi

1 Christ In Islam2

2 Distinctive Characteristics Of ChristIn The Quran 3

3 The Miracles Of Christ In TheQuran7

4 The Sonship Of Christ In TheQuran9

5 The Deity Of Christ In Islam 126 The Humanity Of Christ In Islam 15

7 Christ In The Holy Bible17

8 The Deity Of Christ And HisHumantiy 21

9 The Doctrine Of The Holy Trinity26

10 The Oneness Of The Three PersonsOf The Trinity30

11 A Reply To Objections31

12 Quiz 35

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1 Christ In Islam

Christ is mentioned 93 times in 15 versesof the Quran Muslim thinking reverts to

these verses whenever the Person of Christcomes under discussion

Most of the time Muslim theologiansresorted to the Christian text in theirinterpretation of these verses Theyaccepted from this text only that whichseemed to agree with Muslim thought andalways refused any attempt to findagreement between the Gospel and theQuran due to the differences between the

basic beliefs and traditional stories setforth in the two books In their endeavourto uphold the validity of the Quran theyallege the alteration (corruption) of theGospel whenever its text contradicts theQuran

In this discussion I will try to showQuranic thought in its gradualdevelopment when it opposes the Christian

doctrines It is possible for me to begin

with the statement that anyone whoinvestigates the text of the Quran willnotice that the first Quranic verses fromthe Meccan period were very sympatheticto Christianity and were favourablydisposed to Christ and His followers toclergymen and monks By the end of Muhammds period in Medina the verseshad bacome harsh being hosile toChistians and rejecting the deity of Christcompletely Muhammad saw in the dogma

of the Trinity that which conflicts with theunity of God which Islam proclaims andon which its message is based There are anumber of verses in the Quran whichcriticise severely the doctrine of theTrinity accuse the Christians of Polytheism of associating partners withGod and of exaggeration in their religion

Perhaps Muhammad was disturbed by theTrinity held by some heretical Christiansects which were scattered throuthout the

Arabian peninsula which consisted of God His partner Mary and her son IsaEven though no true Christian has everstated such an idea the Muslims havemade a great issue of it which they havenever abandoned inspite of all theexplanations given by Christians on everypossible occasion

There is also another deep-rooted problemThe reason for this is a verse in the Quranwhich says Remember Isa Son of Marysaid O children of Israel Lo I am theEmissary (Apostle Ambassador) of Allahunto you confirming that which is in MyHands from the Torah and proclaiminggood tidings of an Emissary who comethafter Me whose name is Ahmad (the MostPraised One) Yet when He came to themwith proofs they said This is pure magic(Sura al-Saffat 376)

The Person of Christ in the Gospel and the Quran

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In a conversation Abu Jaafar al Tabari

quoted from Muawiyeh ben Salih andSaid ben Suwaid and Al Ala bin Hilal alSulami and Irbad bin Sariah saying

I heard the Emissary of Allah say WithGod I am foreordained to be the seal of theprophets Really Adam is mixed with theearth I will inform you first that my fatherAbraham prayed and Isa also proclaimedabout me and there was the vision whichmy mother saw Likewise the mothers of the prophets saw that when my motherbore me a great light issued from herenough to light the palaces of Damacus

Muslims take this statement literally andas the Gospel is devoid of any indicationof a prophecy concerning Muhammad orany statement that Christ spoke of himthey say the Injil is corrupted

There is a third difficulty The reason for itis the belief of Christians in the Gospelaccount of Christs suffering and hiscrucifixion as a basic truth of theirreligion The Quran denies the crucifixionbecause it says the following about theJews Because of their saying We slewthe Messiah Isa the Son of Mary - theyslew him not nor crucified him but itappeared to them as if it was so and lothose who disagree concerning him arethemselves in doubt about him they haveno knowledge of him other than thefollowing of an openion they definitely

did not slay him but Allah took him upunto Himself Allah was ever mightywise (Sura al-Nisa 4157)

There is a fourth difficulty The Christiansbelief that Christ is the Son of God TheQuran has condemned this belief in aseries of verses which I will mention intheir appropriate places in this booklet

along with the interpretations and

comments of scholars

2 Distinctive Characteristics Of Christ In The Quran

In spite of the opposition of Islam to thebasic Christian doctrines the Quranacknowledges that Christs attributes anddignity put him on a higher level thanhuman beings These characteristics weremanifested in his way of life and conduct

his message and his person When wecompare these characteristics with those of the prophets and apostles in the Quran wesee that it does not give any of them (noteven Muhammad himself those specialcharacteristics pertaining to Christ)

1 His Miraculous Conception

We read in the Quran And Marydaughter of Imran whose womb waschaste therefore We breathed therein

from Our Spirit And she put faith inthe words of the Lord and HisScriptures and was from the obedient(Sura al-Tahrim 6612 See also Suraal-Anbiya 2191)

Al Fakhr al Razi says We breathedtherein of our Spirit means in Isaas Isa was in her abdomen There isdisagreement over who breathed Somesay the breathing was from Allah - asAllah says We breathed therein of

Our Spirit Others say that the onewho breathed was Gabriel because itis said in a statement attributed toGabriel I grant to you

There is also disagreement over themanner of this breathing There is thesaying of Wahb that Gabriel breathedinto her breast and it reached herwomb Another version is that he






breathed into the hem of her garment

and she conceived Al Saddi said Hetook hold of her sleeve and breathedinto her side and it entered her breastand she conceived Then Marys sisterthe wife of Zachariah came to visitand help her and while she wasassisting her she knew that Mary waspregnant and Mary mentioned herstate to her The wife of Zachariah saidI find the child in my womb worshipthat which is in yours Thus the

statement (believing in the Word of Allah) Another version holds that thebreathing was in her mouth andreached her womb and immediatelyshe conceived

Ibn Abbas said Gabriel opened theinner garment with his fingers andbreathed inside The saying whosebody was chaste means she keptherself chaste and maintained hervirtue and We breathed therein of

our Spirit means the breathing wasinto the opening of her garment It isalso said We (ie Allah) createdwhatever appears in it (womb of Mary)

Muqatil in his explanation of thewords She believed in the words of her Lord said they mean in IsaAnd Hasan when reading the Quranindicated this by substituting Wordof the Lord for Words Isa is calledthe Word of Allah in a number of places in the Quran

2 His Miraculous Birth

The Quran mentions this conversationbetween the virgin Mary and the angelof the Lord when he came with theannouncement of Christs birth Hesaid I am a messenger of the Lord

that I may bestow on thee a faultless

boy she said How can I have a boywhen no mortal hath touched meneither have I been unchaste He saidSo it will be Thy Lord says It is easyfor me And we will make him arevelation to mankind and a mercyfrom us and it is a thing ordained(Sura Maryam 1919-21)

Al Baidawi has commented on themiraculous birth of Jesus saying Thatdistinction sets Christ apart from otherhumans and messengers because hewas born without any human embraceor relationship

But Al Fakhr al Razi comments on thesubject thus

1 Concerning the words I bestowon thee a faultless boy he saidFaultless means three things firstthat he is without sin second thathe grew in integrity as it is said

that he who has no sin is chaste andin the growing plant there is puritythird he was above reproach andpure

2 We make him a revelation formankindmeans his birth is a signto mankind as he was born withouta father A mercy from Us meansmankind will be blessed by themanifestation of these signs forthey will be overwhelming

indications of his truthfulness andwill make the acceptance of hisword more likely

Al Imam Abu Jaafar al Tabari said inexplanation of the words faultlessboy basing it on the saying of AbuAmr the chaste boy is pure from sinThus the Arabs say a youth pure and






chaste outstanding and excellent

3 He was Blessed of God

We read in Sura Maryam these wordsas spoken by Christ He hath madeMe blessed wherever I may be (SuraMaryam 1930)

Al Tabari quoting Yunus ibn Abd alAla and Sufyan said the explanation of hath made Me blessed means Hehath made me a teacher of good

Suleiman bin Abd al Jabbar quotingMuhammad bin Yazid bin Hunais alMakhzoumi said I heard Ibn alWard a slave of the Bani Makhzoumsay A scholar encountered anothermore learned than himself and aftergreeting him said What should bemanifested from my knowledge Hesaid The doing of good and therefraining from the forbidden This isthe religion of Allah which he sent

through his prophets to mankindScholars have agreed on the saying of Allah He hath made Me (ie Isa)blessed wheresoever I be

4 He was supported by the Holy Spirit

We read in Sura al-Baqara 2253 Wegave Isa son of Mary clear proofsand we supported him with the HolySpirit

Ibn Abbas said The Holy Spirit is the

name by which Isa was raising thedead Abu Muslim said The HolySpirit by whom he was supported wasprobably the pure Spirit which Allahbreathed into him and by which hedistinguished him from whose whomhe created in a normal manner fromman and woman

We read in Sura al-Nisa 4170 The

Messiah Isa son of Mary is a

messenger of Allah and his Wordwhich he conveyed unto Mary and aspirit from him So believe in Allahand his messengers

The substance of these verses is thatAlllah gave Isa a spirit in his personand this spirit supported him in hispersonality But Muslim scholars havediffered in the explanation of the HolySpirit by whom he was supported

Ibn Ines said He is the Spirit whichwas breathed into Christ Allah relatedhim to himself honouring him (Christ)and setting Him apart The Holy isGod and the saying We breathed inhim of our Spirit is indicative of this

Al Suddi and Kaab said The HolySpirit is Gabriel and his support of Isaconsisted in being his companion andfriend helping and accompanying himwherever he went until he was takenup into heaven

Ibn Jubair said Spirit of the Holy isthe supreme name for Allah and by itIsa was raising the dead

Al Qashani said Allah purposed tocleanse the body of Isa from inherentimpurities and he was an incarnatespirit in an ideal and spiritual body He(Allah) cleansed his spirit and purifiedhim from being influenced by natural

instincts and environmentalcharacteristics so that he could besupported by the Holy Spirit in whoseform he was

Ibn Ata said The most excellentplants are those whose fruits are likeIsa the Spirit of God

Ibn Abbas said As it was the Spirit






which was breathed into him and the

Holy One is Allah so he is the spirit of Allah

5 His Ascension at the time of HisDeath

We read that Allah said O Isa lo Iamd gathering You and causing You toascend to me and am cleansing You of those who disbelieve (Sura al Imran355)

Al Fakhri al Razi said There are

many interpretations of this verse of which we quote two

1 The meaning of I will cause you toascend is that Allah would takehim to the place of his honour andmake that ascension honour andexaltation to Isa

Similar to this is the saying I go toMy Lord which is taken from theGospel

2 The interpretation of causing youto ascend unto me means thatAllah was raising him to a placewhere no one could judge him foron earth men pass various kinds of

judgement on one another but inheaven there is no true oromniscient Judge except Allah

6 The Infallibility of His Message andHis Way of Life

Some people imagine that infallibilityof message is definitely linked withinfallibility of conduct but the versesof the Quran contradict this idea Weread many verses which make it clearthat the prophets lives were notwithout blame neither before nor aftertheir message But in the QuranChrists life was infallible as was his

message The angel witnessed to that

when he said to his mother I am themessenger of your Lord and I bestowon you a faultless child Al Baidawisaid in his comments on the wordfaultless that Isa advancedintellectually from year to year

7 Signs proved the uniqueness of Hismessage

As his message was made unique bythe support of the Holy Spirit so it was

also unique in the multiplicity andcharacter of the signs attending itwhich exceeded those given to anyother messenger We read We gaveIsa son of Mary clear proofs (Suraal-Baqara 2253) The proofs were themiracles

Al Baidawi said Allah bestowed onhim a special assignment and made Hismiracles a reason for his preferenceabove other messengers They were

clear signs and great wondersunequalled in number by any other

8 His Omniscience

The Quran says When the Son of Mary is quoted as an example yourpeople alienate themselves from HimSurely he is a sign for the hour (ieDay of Judgement) (Sura al-Zukhruf 435761)

Al Jalalan said in his explanation of

the phrase a sign for the Hour seeingas Isa was a Sign for the hour heknow when it (the day of Judgement)would come When we remember thatpeople generally recognize that Allahis separate from his creation in that healone knows the times we comprehendthe distinction which the Quranassigns especially to Christ






9 He is the Mediator near to Allah

The Quran confines the work of intercession to Allah alone when itsays Unto Allah belongs allintercession (Sura al-Zumat 394)Another verse of the Quran hints thatintercession is also one of theprivileges of Christ when it saysRemember when the angel said OMary lo Allah gives you glad tidingsof a word from him whose name is theMessiah Isa Son of Mary an

outstanding personality in the worldand in the hereafter and one of thosebrought near (Sura al Imran 344)

Al Jalalan said in explanation of this verseOutstanding in this world by the ministryof prophecy and in the hereafter byintercession and position and being one of those brought near unto Allah

Al Tabari quoting Ibn Humaid andSalama and Ibn Ishaq and Muhammad bin

Jaafar said outstanding in the worldmeans possessor of dignity and livingclose to Allah in the world The words inthe hereafter and among those broughtnear mean that he is one of those whomAllah brings near to himself on the Day of Resurrection and who will dwell close tohim

Al Razi said concerning Isa He wasoutstanding in the world because heobeyed the call of Allah and raised thedead healed the blind and the leper andwill be outstanding in the hereafterbecause Allah will make him anintercessor for his people

However the saying one brought nearhas various viewpoints

First that Allah had made the position of

being near to him a great privilege for the

angels and would admit Isa to their rank and dignity Second this description is anannouncement that he would be raised toheaven and associated with angels

Third not every outstanding person in thehereafter would be close to Allah becausethose in paradise are of various ranks anddegrees

3 The Miracles Of Christ In The

Quran1 His Power to Create

In the Quran there is the followingstatement When Allah saith O Isason of Mary Remember My favourunto The and how I taught Thee theScripture and Wisdom and the Torahand the Gospel and how Thou didstshape of clay as it were the likeness of a bird and didst blow into it and it was

a bird by my permission (Suraal-Maida 5109)

Ibn Arabi in his interpretation of thisverse said Allah bestowed on Isa aSpirit and added the power to breathelife into what he had made of clay Tonone other than Isa has Allah giventhis power to impart life

2 He spoke at his birth

When Mary had her son her people

blamed her thinking that she hadgiven birth to him out of wedlockThen she pointed to him and they saidHow can we talk to one who is in thecradle a young boy He said Lo I ama slave of Allah He hath given me thescripture and hath appointed me aprophet (Sura Maryam 2128-29)

It has been said by trustworthy






scholars that when Marys people went

too far in reproaching her she wassilent and pointed to her child as if shewould say to them He will answeryou

Al Suddi said When she pointed tohim they were very angry and saidHer mockery of us is worse than heradultery

Another story relates that Isa wasfeeding at his mothers breast and

when he heard the complaint againstMary he stopped feeding turned hisface to the people and resting on hisleft hand pointed with his finger andspoke to them

There is also another story told by AlRazi which says Zachariah came toher during this dabate among the Jewsconcerning her and said to Isa Speak for yourself if you have beencommanded so to do and Isa said Iam the servant of Allah He has givenme wisdom and made me a prophet

3 He raised the dead and healed theblind and the leper

The Quran states in the words of Christ I heal him who was bornblind and the leper and I raise thedead by the permission of Allah (Suraal Imran 349)

It is known that the word blind inthis quotation means those who wereborn in that condition It is also a factthat leprosy is a dangerous disease andboth ailments were beyond the powerof man to cure

Al Muthanna quoting Ibn Ishaq andHafs ibn Umar and Ikrima mentionedthat Allah told Isa to repeat this verse

to the Jews by way of proving he was a

prophet because blindness and leprosyhad no cure

Concerning the phrase I raise thedead Wahb ibn Munabbih related thatwhile Isa was playing with some boysa youth sprang on one and strikinghim with his foot killed him thenthrew him bleeding into the arms of Isa People were told of this andaccused Isa then seized him took himto a judge and said This boy haskilled another boy The judgequestioned him and Isa replied I donot know the one who killed himneither am I one of his friends Thenthey wanted to strike Isa so he said tothem Bring the boy to me and theyasked him Why He replied I willask him who killed him They askedHow can he speak to you if he isdead Then they took him to the deadboy and Isa began to pray for him and

Allah restored him to life

From Wahb comes another storywhich says A great number of sick people possibly some fifty thousandonce crowded around him Those whowere able to do so reached him but forthose who could not do so Jesuswalked amongst them and cured themby prayer

Another from Kalbi who said Jesus

used to raise the dead by the cry OThou Who art alive -- O EverlastingOne He raised Lazarus his friend andhe called Shem the son of Noah fromhis grave and he came forth alive Hepassed by the dead son of an oldwoman and invoked Allah for him andthe deceased descended from his bierreturned to his family and continued






his normal life

4 He had knowledge of things hiddenand invisible

The Quran mentions Christ as sayingI announce to you what you eat andwhat you store up in your houses(Sura al Imran 349)

In regard to this scholars see twofactors First Isa (from the beginning)could discern hidden matters As Suddirelates While he was playing with the

children he told them what theirmothers and fathers did He told oneboy Your mother has hiddensomething for you so the boy wenthome and cried until he received itThen the people said to their childrenDont play with this magician andthey gathered them into a home Isacame to look for them and the peoplesaid to him They are not in the houseSo he asked Who then is in this

house They replied pigs Isa saidThus they will be for they are pigs

The second factor is that discernmentof hidden matters is miraculousAstrologers who tell the future andreveal hidden matters can only do soby questioning They also confess theyoften make mistakes But knowledgeof the unknown without recourse toaids or previous knowledge cannot bewithout inspiration

5 He brought a table spread with foodfrom heaven

The Quran says When the disciplessaid O Isa son of Mary Is Thy Lordable to send down for us a table spreadwith food from heaven He saidReverence Allah if you are truebelievers They said We wish to eat

thereof that we may satisfy our hearts

and know that Thou hast spoken truthto us and that we may be witnessesthereof Isa son of Mary said OAllah send down a table spread withfood from heaven that it may be afeast for us for the first of us and thelast of us and a sign from Thee Giveus sustenance for Thou art the best of Sustainers (Sura al-Maida5112-114)

The religious leaders (Imams) havedisagreed in describing the descent of thetable also how it looked and what was onit Qatada quoting from Jabir and Yasiribn Ammar and Muhammad said Thetable was sent down spread with bread andmeat The disciples had asked Isa for foodthey could eat and which would not ceaseHe said to them I will do this for you andit will remain if you do not hide it norcheat If you do you will be punished Butbefore the day had passed they cheated and

hid food so the table was taken up andthey were transformed into monkeys andpigs

Ibn Abbas said Isa said to the children of Israel Fast for thirty days then ask Allahwhat you will and he will give it Theyfasted thirty days and when they hadfinished they said O Isa we have fastedand are hungry Call upon God to senddown a table of food from heaven ThenIsa put on a coarse woolen garmentcovered with ashes and called upon Allahand angels came with a table on whichwere seven loaves and seven huge fishThis was placed among them and therewas enough for all

4 The Sonship Of Christ In TheQuran






Whoever considers the person of Christ as

revealed in the Quran discovers that thesubject of his Sonship raises muchcontroversy There are five theoriesconcerning it

1 It is blasphemy

The Quran states It is not fitting tothe majesty of Allah that he decreeth athing He saith only unto it Be and itis (Sura Maryam 1934)

It also says They say Beneficent

hath taken unto Himself a sonAssuredly ye utter a disastrous thingwhereby the heavens are almost tornand the earth is split asunder and themountains fall in ruins that ye ascribeunto the Beneficent a son It is notmeet for (the majesty of) theBeneficent that he should take a sonThere is none in the heavens and in theearth but cometh unto the Beneficentas a slave (Sura Maryam 1989-94)

Al Fakhri al Razis commentary statesI know that Allah when he replied tothe idolaters spoke to those whoasserted that he had a son The Jewssaid that Azer was the son of God andthe Christians said that Christ was theSon of God and the Arabs said theangels were the daughters of God andall of them are included in the verseThey say The Beneficent hath takenunto Himself a son

The words a disastrous thing mean itwas a shocking denial of truth Thusthe tearing of the heavens and thesplitting of the earth and the collapseof mountains mean that the wrath of Allah is on him who says TheBeneficent has taken to himself a son

2 It is a uniting of part of creation

with the Creator

In Sura al-Zukhruf 4315 we readThey allot to him a portion of hisbondmen Lo man is an obviousblasphemer Does he take daughtersfrom that which he created and honouryou with sons

Here there arises the question whatrelationship is there between Creatorand created that a part of creation canbe joined to the Creator It is

physically and mentally impossibleAlso they (the Muslims) go on fromthe statement There is none in theheavens and in the earth but comethunto him as a slave to say that it is notpossible for a slave to become a lordand from the words the Creator of heaven and earth they affirm it is notpossible for the created to be a creator

We as Christians affirm that it is notpossible to join anything to Allah from

his creatures but according to ourbelief this cannot be applied to anyrelationship between the Father and theSon as the Son is one in essencewith the Father and the Quran itself says that Christ is the Word of Godand a Spirit from Him So the unitingof part of Gods creation with Him hasnothing to do with the matter of theSonship of Christ

3 A Son can only be born from male

and female

Here there is a problem in theunderstanding of Islam concerningsonship seeing as the Quran statesHow can he (Allah) have a childwhen there is for him no consort(Sura al-Anam 6102)

Al Baidawi has commented on this






verse saying It is only rational to say

that a child is one born of male andfemale of the same kind and natureand Allah is far abovehomogeneousness

This is the concept of Islam withregard to the inconceivability of Godas having a son He does not have aconsort and it is impossible that therecould be one This is the secret of theirdenial to Gods fatherhood of Christfor there is no sonship in the opinionof the Quran except in a physicalsense

That which is written in Tabaris Jamial Bayan supports this opinion It isquoted by Wahb and Abi Zeid whosay A child must be born of male andfemale and it cannot be that Allah hasa consort and a child It is he who hascreated all things and if there isnothing except that which Allah has

created how could he have a sonSome scholars resort to the verse givenconcerning certain heretics who wereoriginally heathen and after joining thechurch sought to introduce in it aheresy which claimed that Mary thevirgin was a god Perhaps they took her as a substitute for the goddessVenus whom they used to worshipbefore They are alluded to by thelearned Ahmad al Maqrizi in his book

Al Qoul al Ibrizi page 26 and alsomentioned by Ibn Hazm in his book Al Milal wa Al Ahwa wa Al Nihal page48 Their heresy suggests that Allahhad a consort and a son by her and isobviously rejected by the Quran Butthis idea is entirely foreign toChristianity No Christian believes itIt is an insult directed against a Holy

God who is free from bodily

characteristicsIn fact anyone considering theChristians belief which is based onthe Gospel finds that they never look upon Christ as Son of God in aphysical sense but believe he is theSon of God coming out from thedivine presence as in the descriptionof Him being the Word who was withGod in the beginning and who wasconceived by the Holy Spirit

The great apostle Paul points to thistruth when he says in Romans 11-4Paul a servant of Christ Jesus calledto be an apostle and set apart for thegospel of God-- the gospel hepromised beforehand through hisprophets in the Holy Scripturesregarding his Son who as to his humannature was a descendant of David andwho through the Spirit of holiness wasdeclared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the deadJesus Christ our Lord

4 He used to partake of food

It is recorded in Sura al-Maida 575The Messiah son of Mary was notother than a messenger like those whohad passed away before him Hismother was a saintly woman Theyboth used to eat (earthly) food Seehow we make the revelations clear to

the people and see how they are turnedaway According to Islamic thinkingthe impossibility of there beingdivinity in Christ is clear from hishumanity for he who partakes of foodhow can he be Allah

Al Razi says in explanation of thisverse






1 Everyone who has had a mother

has come from a non-existence intobeing and all such were created andnot Allah

2 They were poor and in need Theywere in desperate need of sustenance but Allah is he who isin need of nothing so how couldChrist be Allah

3 The saying they both ate foodalludes to their humanity foreveryone who partakes of food is

mortal(Al Razi commented thathe considered this third point to beweak)

5 The created is incapable of benefitting or harming

Sura al Maida 576 says Serve ye inplace of Allah he who possesseth foryou neither hurt nor use Allah is theHearer the OmniscientCommentators have taken this verse to

refer to perverted Christian claims andhave said it contains a number of arguments

1 The Jews continually opposed Isaand sought to do him harm but hewas not able to hurt them Hisfriends and followers loved himbut he was unable to bring to themgood or wordly gain If one isunable to harm his enemies of bring worldly benefits how can the

mind accept that he be Allah

In addition to this interpretation AlBaidawi said Isa even if hepossessed special privileges did sobecause God took possession of him he did not possess them inhimself But we say that if Jesuswas merely the Isa of the Quran --Isa the slave -- we would admit

that he did not possess these

powers (to benefit his followers orharm his enemies) But Jesus asIsaiah the prophet said is MightyGod (Isaiah 96) and we thank him because his message wasneither for harming nor for givingmaterial benefit but was forsalvation The Quran itself saysthat he came as a mercy to theworld

2 There is a sect of Christians who

say that the Jews crucified him andwounded his side and when he wasthirsty and asked for water theypoured vinegar in his nostrils Howcould anyone as weak as this beconsidered Allah

3 The God of the world cannot be inneed by any other being but allothers are in need of him If Isahad been Allah he would not havebeen occupied in worship for an

Allah does not worship anything Itis man who worships Allah It wasgenerally acknowledged that he(Isa) continued in obedience toGod and worshipped him and itwas understood he did so becausehe was in need of obtainingbenefits himself and the ability todo harm to others How can such aman convey benefits to others anddefend them from evil If he was

like this he was a man as othermen

5 The Deity Of Christ In Islam

Probably the greatest controversy in thedialogue between Christianity and Islam isthat which arises from the Christian belief in the divinity of Christ which in the






opinion of the Quran is blasphemy and

unbelief It is contradicted in many versesthe most important of which are fourmentioned in Sura al-Maida 5 and a fifthin Sura al-Nisa2

1 It is stated in the Quran that Theyhave disbelieved who say Lo Allah isthe Messiah son of Mary Who can doanything against Allah if he hadwilled to destroy the Messiah Son of Mary and his mother and everyone onearth (Sura al-Maida 517)

Al Razi in his comments on this verseclaims it contains a question If none of the Christians say that Allah is ChristSon of Mary why did Allah speak likethat about them seeing as they do notsay it His answer is that many of those who believe in incarnation saythat Allah may have become incarnatein the body of a designated person orin his spirit and if that is so it isntimprobable to say that some of theChristians hold this doctrine Yet thisis not far from what Christians domaintain because they say that theperson of the Word was united with theperson of Isa

The element of the Word is either aBeing of an attribute If he is a Beingthen the personality of Allah hasbecome incarnate in Isa and is onewith him and thus according to this

saying Isa is Allah If we say theelement of the Word is an attributethen the transition of an atribute fromone personality to another is illogical

Then the supposition of the transfer of the element of knowledge from Allahto Isa necessitates that Allah himself isemptied of knowledge and he who isnot omniscient is not Allah According

to their belief Isa is Allah and it is

certain that even if the Christians donot clearly state this doctrine the resultof their ideology is nothing less thanthat

Allah - his name be praised -remonstrated against the corruption of this belief when he said Who can doanything against Allah if He hadwilled to destroy the Messiah Son of Mary and His mother These wordsin the opinion of commentators meanthat Isa was the same as any other onearth in his physical appearancenature physique character andconditions

2 The Quran states They surelydisbelieve who say Lo Allah is theMessiah Son of Mary The Messiahhimself said O children of Israelworship Allah my Lord and yourLord Lo Whoso ascribeth partnersunto Allah for him Allah hathforbidden Paradise His abode is theFire For evil doers there will be nohelpers (Sura al-Maida 572)

The Imam al Razi says in explainingthis verse Allah when he inquiredabout some sayings of the Jews beganhere with a statement to the Christiansand spoke of a sect that said Godbecame incarnate in Isa and wasunited in his person

3 Sura al-Maida 573 states Theysurely disbelieve who say Lo Allah isthe third of three when there is noAllah save One If they do not desistfrom so saying a painful doom will fallon those who disbelieve Muslimsstart from this verse and accuse theChristians of worshipping three godsAllah Mary and Jeus






Al Razi looks at the belief of the

Christians in the following way It issaid about the Christians that theyclaim One Essence and ThreePersons Father Son and Holy Spiritand these Three are One God even asthe sun contains a disk rays and heatThey mean by The Father thePersonality by The Son the Wordand by The Spirit the Life Theyassert the Personality the Word andthe Life saying The Word which is

the Words of God merged with thebody of Isa as water mixes with wineand water with milk and allege thatthe Father is God and the Son is Godand the Holy Spirit is God Al Raziconcludes his explanation with thisaddition Now this is known to befalse by instinct of the mind for threecannot be one and one cannot bethree

4 The Quran says And when Allah

saith O Isa Son of Mary Didst Thousay unto mankind Take me and mymother for two gods beside Allah Hesaith Be glorified It was not mine toutter that to which I had no right If Iused to say it then Thou knowest itThou knowest what is in my soul and Iknow not what is in Thyself Thouonly art the Knower of things hidden(Sura al-Maida 5116)

Al Razi finds problems in this saying

The first is linked with the meaning of the statement of Allah O Isa son of Mary remember my grace is uponyou He relates this to the distinctionChrist will have on the day of resurrection

The second if Allah being omniscientknew that Isa did not say take me

and my mother for two gods - and it is

not fitting that the omniscient shouldask the question - why did he addresshim If it be said that the purpose of itwas to reprimand and rebuke theChristians then we say that noChristian has believed the statementthat Isa and Mary were two godsbesides Allah Therefore how is itpossible to link this statement withthem when no one has ever made it

The answer given to the first pointWhy did he address him is that itwas a rhetorical question

The answer given to the second is thatAllah is the Creator HoweverChristians believe that the Creator of the miracles performed by Isa andMary was Isa and Allah did not createthem at all If that is so then theChristians have said that the Creatorfor those miracles is Isa and Mary and

not Allah So truly they have assertedto some extent that Isa and Mary aretwo gods beside Him Thus Allah is nolonger God Al Razi believes thatvarious statements and stories agreewith this interpretation

However commentators on the Qurandisagree about the exact time Godasked Jesus this question

Al Suddi for instance says that God

when he raised Jesus Son of Maryunto himself asked him Didst Thousay unto mankind Take me and mymother for two gods

But Qatada says This question hasnot yet been asked It will be asked atthe Resurrection Ibn Jarih andMaisara agree with this opinion






5 O people of the Scriptures Do not

exaggerate in your religion nor sayanything about Allah save the truthThe Messiah Isa Son of Mary is amessenger of Allah and his Wordwhich he conveyed unto Mary and aSpirit from Him So believe in Allahand his messenger and say not ThreeCease It is better for you Allah isonly One God(Sura al-Nisa 4170)

Abu Jaafar al Tabari in commenting onthis verse said O people of the Gospel

you Christians Do not go beyond the truthin your religion or exaggerate and do notsay about Isa what is not true Stop O youspeakers saying that Allah is Third of Three You are speaking lies andupholding polytheism The ceasing fromstating it will be better for you for therewill be sudden punishment for you fromAllah for this saying if you continue anddo not return to the truth which you havebeen authorized to defend

The knotty problem in Islam is the belief that the Trinity means three Gods AllahIsa and Mary But Christianity throughoutthe centuries has proclaimed before Islamand after that the word Trinity (asindicating there are three gods) is nevermentioned It is a delusion of hereticswhom the Church disowned and whoseheresies it condemned

The heretics belonged to the Arabs in the

days of ignorance in pre-Islamic timesFrom them Islam has taken this distortedidea of Christianity

6 The Humanity Of Christ InIslam

In the teaching of Islam Christ is

1 A servant not Lord

According to the word of the Quran

quoting the saying of Christ I am theslave of Allah He hath given me theScripture and hath blessed and mademe wheresoever I may be and hathenjoined upon me prayer andalmsgiving so long as I remain aliveand hath made me dutiful towards herwho bore me and hath not made mearrogant or unblest (Sura Maryam1930-34)

Al Imam al Razi commenting on thisverse says In this phrase slave of Allah there are four points to note

First it does away with the erroneousbelief of the Christians that Isa is God

Second if Christ when he confessedhis servitude was truthful in hisstatement then truly he was Allahsslave If he was lying the power heused would not have been divine butsatanic and both suppositions wouldrender void his being a god

Third that which was the pressingneed for him at that time was toremove the accusation of adultery fromhis mother Mary However Isa did notclearly deny that but laid emphasis onthe fact of his servitude as if theremoval of the accusation that he wasequal with Allah were more importantthan removing the accusation from his

motherFourth the removal of this accusationfrom Allah assists the removal of theaccusation from his mother bacauseAllah would not choose an adulteressto bear a child for this great and highposition

Then he comments on the Christian






belief in the divine nature of Christ and

says The belief of Christians is veryconfused They have agreed that Godis not in a body nor confined yet wecan put forth an argument whichmakes void their belief from everydirection We say that if they believehe is confined we annul their statementwith the argument that all bodies arecreated If they believe he is notconfined then their statement that theWord merged with humanity as water

mixes with wine and fire blends withcoal is made void because this is notreasonable except there be a physicalelement

I believe the concept of the Quranwith regard to the person of Christ isbased upon two truths containing amystery which the natural man cannotcomprehend

The first truth is that Jesus as being

the Son of Mary was the Servant of God This is expressed in the languageof the prophets as Isaiah 5213 and5311 says See my servant will actwisely he will be raised and lifted upand highly exalted by his knowledgemy righteous servant will justify manyand he will bear their iniquities

The second truth this attribute of servant is not incompatible with theQuranic statement that he is a Word

bestowed upon Mary and a Spirit fromhim

Anyone who ponders carefully thetwofold meaning of this verse in theQuran sees within it the declaration of Paul in Romans 11-4 as to hishuman nature was a descendant of David and who through the Spirit of

holiness was declared with power to be

the Son of God by his resurrectionfrom the dead

2 Christ is in the likeness of Adam

It is written in the Quran Lo thelikeness of Isa with Allah is as thelikeness of Adam He created him of dust and then said unto him Be andhe is (Sura al Imran 359)

In Abi Jaafar al Tabaris book Jami al Bayan it reports that Allah said O

Muhammad tell the Christians of Najran that my creation of Isa withouta male progenitor was similar to that of Adam to whom I said Be and hewas without a progenitor male orfemale My creation of Isa from hismother without a male is no greatermiracle than my creation of Adam

It is related that Muhammad ibn Saadquoting his father and Ibn Abbas said

A group of people from Najran cameto Muhammad among whom were AsSayyid and Al Aqib They said toMuhammad Why do you speak aboutour Friend He said And who is heThey said Isa You allege he is aservant of Allah Muhammad repliedSurely he is a servant of Allah Thenthey said Have you ever seen or beeninformed about Isa and forthwiththey left him Then came Gabriel sentby our Lord the Hearer and theOmniscient and said Tell them if they come to you that the likeness of Isa (in His creation) with Allah is likethat of Adam

Another story from Muhammad ibnHusain Ahmed ibn al Mufaddal andAl Suddi says When Muhammad wassent and the people of Najran heard of






him four of their leaders Al Aqib As

Sayyid Masirjus and Jarijus came tohim and asked him what he thought of Isa He said He is a servant of Allahand his Spirit and his Word They saidNo He is Allah He descended fromhis dominion and entered into Marywas born and manifested himselfHave you ever seen a man who wasborn without a father It was then thatAllah sent to Muhammad this verseIsa is in the eyes of Allah the same as

Adam

A third story from Al Qisam IbnJuraij and Ikrima said We heard thatthe Christians of Najran sent adeputation to Muhammad amongthem Al Aqib and Al Sayyid whosaid O Muhammad why do yourevile our Friend He replied Who isyour Friend They said Isa Son of Mary You allege he is a servant Towhich Muhammad replied Truly he

is a servant of Allah and his Wordbestowed on Mary and a Spirit fromhim

Then they were angry with him andsaid If you are truthful show us aservant who can raise the dead andheal the blind and the leper and whocreating from clay the form of a birdwill breathe into it so that it becomes abird - isnt he Allah Muhammad saidnothing until Gabriel came to him andsaid O Muhammad They haveblasphemed who said that Allah isChrist the Son of Mary ThenMuhammad replied Gabriel theyasked me to tell them to whom Isa issimilar and Gabriel said Isa is just asAdam

7 Christ In The Holy Bible1 The Deity of Christ

No doubt the enquirer into Christianitywill find himself confronted by manyserious questions Probably the mostdifficult is the deity of Christ By this Imean the firm belief of Christians thatJesus who was born of the virginMary in Judah and lived on our earthfor some time is both the Son of Godand God the Son

It may seem that this belief is difficultfor many although the difficulty doesnot alter the fact of Christianity beingthe only true religion The belief of Christians in the existence of threepersons in one God does notnecessitate that one preceded the otherin time or that one is greater than theother in any sense whatever God isone but reveals himself by these names

in order to show the plan of redemption

Before starting to consider the deity of Christ it is necessary to consider thestatements in the Bible concerning theFatherhood of God to Christ

2 Revelations from the Father

In the Gospel of Luke 13132 we readthat the Angel of the Lord said to thevirgin Mary You will be with child

and give birth to a son and you are togive him the name Jesus He will begreat and will be called the Son of theMost High When Jesus was born theprophecy of Isaiah was fulfilledTherefore the Lord himself will giveyou a sign The virgin will be withchild and will give birth to a son andwill call him Immanuel-- which






means God with us (Isaiah 714 and

Matthew 122-23)

Then we read at the time of thebaptism of Jesus As soon as Jesuswas baptized he went up out of thewater At that moment heaven wasopened and he saw the Spirit of Goddescending like a dove and lighting onhim And a voice from heaven saidThis is my Son whom I love withhim I am well pleased (Matthew316-17)

Furthermore while Jesus was withthree of his disciples on MountHermon he spoke with Moses andElijah and He was still speaking whenlo a bright cloud overshadowed themand a voice from the cloud said Thisis my Son whom I love with him I amwell pleased Listen to him (Matthew175)

3 Declarations of Christ

Christ said in one of his parables Iam the true vine and my Father is thegardener (John 151) Then in John1027-30 he declared My sheeplisten to my voice I know them andthey follow me I give them eternallife and they shall never perish no onecan snatch them out of my hand noone can snatch them out of my Fathershand In his parting message he saidI tell you the truth anyone who hasfaith in me will do what I have beendoing He will do even greater thingsthan these because I am going to theFather And I will do whatever you ask in my name so that the Son may bringglory to the Father (John 141213)

When the Jews boasted to Christbecause Moses had given them manna

in the wilderness he said to them I

tell you the truth it is not Moses whohas given you the bread from heavenbut it is my Father who gives you thetrue bread from heaven (John 632)

He also said to others I tell you thetruth the Son can do nothing byhimself he can do only what he seeshis Father doing because whatever theFather does the Son also does For theFather loves the Son and shows him allhe does just as the Father raises thedead and gives them life even so theSon gives life to whom he is pleased togive it Moreover the Father judges noone but has entrusted all judgment tothe Son that all may honor the Son

just as they honor the Father I tellyou the truth a time is coming and hasnow come when the dead will hear thevoice of the Son of God and those whohear will live (John 519-25)

Then later while teaching the peoplehe said I tell you the truth everyonewho sins is a slave to sin Now a slavehas no permanent place in the familybut a son belongs to it forever So if the Son sets you free you will be freeindeed (John 834-36)

In a dialogue with others he stated My Father is always at his work to thisvery day and I too am working Forthis reason the Jews tried all the harder

to kill him not only was he breakingthe Sabbath but he was even callingGod his own Father making himself equal with God (John 517-18) Andone day he said to his listeners Allthings have been committed to me bymy Father No one knows the Sonexcept the Father and no one knowsthe Father except the Son and those to






whom the Son chooses to reveal him

Come to me all you who are wearyand burdened and I will give you rest(Matthew 1127-28)

When we consider this profounddeclaration it is clear that neither anordinary man nor prophet nor apostlenor angel from heaven nor chief of angels can comprehend the secret of the wonderful person of Jesus Christ Itclearly means that the nature of Christis unlimited for no one cancomprehend Him other than the FatherSurely if Christ is only an ordinaryman it is not right that this statementbe made Without any doubt thisglorious declaration teaches us that oneof the functions of Christ in his eternaloneness with the Father is to reveal tous the Father who is described as TheInvisible

This revelation which Christ declared

may appear to be a mystery anddifficult to understand But the HolySpirit inspired the writer of the Gospelof John to clarify it for us in a series of verses of which the clearest is Noone has ever seen God but God theOne and Only who is at the Fathersside has made him known (John118) This verse assures us that nohuman or angel has ever seen God orknown Him with the knowledge whichmakes him fully acquainted with Hisdivine attributes What was revealed tothem came by inspiration or visionMoses and others of the prophetsnever saw God They received theirrevelations by inspiration and thesource of them was the SecondPerson of the Godhead Jesus Christthe Son of God for He alone of Hisown accord knows the thoughts of the

Triune God who appeared in a body

(1 Timothy 316)

When Jesus said to His disciples Iand the Father are one He who hasseen me has seen the Father I am inthe Father and the Father is in me hewas assuring them of the unitybetween himself and his Fathernamely that he and the Father are onein essence and glory rank and abilitywill and purpose

4 The Testimony of the Apostles1 When Jesus asked his disciples

Who do you say I am

2 When Jesus asked his disciplesWho do you say I am SimonPeter answered You are theChrist the Son of the living God(Matthew 161516)

3 John said We know also that theSon of God has come and hasgiven us understanding so that wemay know him who is true Andwe are in him who is true-- even inhis Son Jesus Christ He is the trueGod and eternal life (1 John 520)

4 Paul said But when the time hadfully come God sent his Son bornof a woman born under law toredeem those under law that wemight receive the full rights of sons (Galatians 445)

5 The Testimony of the Prophets1 Solomon the wise Who has gone

up to heaven and come downWho has gathered up the wind inthe hollow of his hands Who haswrapped up the waters in hiscloak Who has established all theends of the earth What is hisname and the name of his son






Tell me if you know Every word

of God is flawless he is a shield tothose who take refuge in him(Proverbs 304-5)

2 Daniel In my vision at night Ilooked and there before me wasone like a son of man coming withthe clouds of heaven Heapproached the Ancient of Daysand was led into his presence Hewas given authority glory andsovereign power all peoples

nations and men of every languageworshiped him His dominion is aneverlasting dominion that will notpass away and his kingdom is onethat will never be destroyed(Daniel 71314)

3 John the Baptist You yourselvescan testify that I said I am not theChrist but am sent ahead of himThe one who comes from above isabove all He testifies to what he

has seen and heard but no oneaccepts his testimony The Fatherloves the Son and has placedeverything in his hands Whoeverbelieves in the Son has eternal lifebut whoever rejects the Son willnot see life for Gods wrathremains on him (John 328-36)

After the testimony of these verses wemust keep in mind that Christ is calledSon of God because of his being the

Second Person of the Godhead So itmust be understand that the wordsson and father according to theChristian belief has no connectionwhatever with the human idea of fatherhood and sonship

The Son in the Bible is called theWord the likeness of the invisible

God the brightness of His glory the

express image of His person and Hisglory and Emmanuel (which means Godwith us) All these titles explain the wordSon As the word manifests the thoughtrevealing what is in the mind even so theIncarnate Word reveals God andexpresses His thoughts towards humanityAs the picture portrays a likeness so Jesusportrays God and as the light of the sunreveals its glory and is an element of thesun itself so is Jesus the brightness of

Gods glory reflecting the glories of thespiritual nature of deity But he in thegreatness of his love veiled this behind thegarment of the flesh during his existence inour world that we might see God and hearhim

From what has been said we know that theSon was the agent who revealed the deityand he was also the means of revealingGod to man in a very sensitive way Soalso the Holy Spirit the third Person of

the Godhead rewrite is the mediator of God to the conscience of man for wecannot comprehend the true nature of therevelation apart from the work of the HolySpirit who guides us to an understandingof the mysteries of divine revelationsInspired by this truth Paul the apostlesaid No one can say Jesus is Lordexcept by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians123)

Possibly the word Son disturbs somepeople because they immediately imaginethrough its relationship with the wordFather that the Father preceded the Sonin time so there must be a difference intime and of status between them Wehowever wish to assure you here that theword Son does not in any way indicateany inequality or precedence betweenthem because the word Father cannot be






used of God unless there be the Son and

the word Son requires the word FatherWe can conclude from the Bible that Godfrom eternity has had the title of Fatherso this necessitates the existence of theSon from eternity also Perhaps this hasoriginated the confusion and disagreementwhich most people fall into over thesubject of equality and which istraceable to the idea that the Father mustprecede the Son and the thought of therebeing a difference in time between the

two A more correct way of expressing it isthat no one becomes a father until themoment when the son comes into beingThe time difference in this case isimaginary and a delusion in ragard to Godand his Son Jesus Christ If we add to thisthat God neither begets nor is begotten ashuman beings on earth understand it wemust disassociate this idea from God andthink more rationally

We use the terms son of truth or son of

light to indicate the resemblance betweenthem and truth or light In this way Jesushas been called Son of God because of the complete resemblance between Fatherand Son in the person of the one GodJesus has been called thus because he isthe only complete and eternal revelation of the person of God to mankind or as weread in Hebrews 11-2 In the past Godspoke to our forefathers through theprophets at many times and in various

ways but in these last days he has spokento us by his Son whom he appointed heirof all things and through whom he madethe universe

8 The Deity Of Christ And HisHumantiy

Who do people say that I amThis

question was asked by Jesus of his

disciples some twenty centuries ago It isan extremely important question which isasked still today Perhaps it is the greatestquestion ever asked throughout history forit contains the most critical and importantissue for the whole of mankind Thisquestion will remain as long as timeremains It is the decisive dividing linebetween various beliefs and mentalitiesand civilizations and cultures The destinyof every man depends on a decisive and

complete answer to his question

One of the distinguishing features of Christianity is that it is not afraid orworried about what is said of Christ itsLord He built its imposing structure andmade it firm so that the gates of hellshall not prevail against it Christ himself encouraged freedom of thought to the lastdegree He never forced or commandedanyone to accept any doctrine or to doanything against his will Carnegie

Simpson said that Christianity throughoutits long history has never accepted fromman a faith in Christ at the point of thesword but rather a faith based on acomplete assurance which controls heartand mind alike With this principle beforeus we say today that we do not wish mento believe in the deity of Christ byconstraint or to accept in advance anopinion and be fanatical concerning it andangry at hearing any other view Instead

we set forth before all various opinionsconcerning Christ which we will discussboth their weakness and strength with allconsideration until we arrive finally at thetruth

1 Perfect Deity

Perhaps one of the strangest departuresfrom orthodox Christians was that of






the Gnostics who denied the idea of

the incarnation adhered to by the vastmajority of Christians of their timeThe Gnostics acknowledged the deityof Christ but denied his humanityThey said that Christ appeared in thelikeness of a man without having a realhuman body and thus he was not bornHe neither suffered nor actually diedbecause his body was a phantom orapparition visible to men One sectamong them said that the body of

Christ was not material as the bodiesof other men but that he was of specialheavenly substance

However the idea cannot bemaintained in the light of the truth setforth in the inspired Word from GodWe read in 1 John 41-4 Dear friendsdo not believe every spirit but test thespirits to see whether they are fromGod because many false prophetshave gone out into the world This is

how you can recognize the Spirit of God Every spirit that acknowledgesthat Jesus Christ has come in the fleshis from God but every spirit that doesnot acknowledge Jesus is not fromGod This is the spirit of the antichristwhich you have heard is coming andeven now is already in the world

2 Human Only

This idea is no less strange than the

reciting The adherents of this sectclaim the humanity of Christ but nothis deity They say that Christ is theperfect man ie the greatest man in theworld and must be honoured as thegreatest leader and most wonderful andglorious hero and martyr Probably theclearest answer refuting the opinion of these heretics is the statement of Dr

Conrad when he said These who

have come to this conclusion arecompletely mistaken for it is notpossible for them to maintain thatChrist is a leader or a hero after theyhave refused to accept what heaffirmed about himself In this caseChrist is one of two things either he isthe greatest deceiver or deceived andtherefore needs to be pitied It wouldthen be foolish to give him a place of honour Actually if Christ is not

worthy of worship he is not worthy of any respect for he demanded forhimself that which would not be

justified namely worship and majesty

3 Unity of Deity and Humanity in thePerson of Christ

This is the correct teaching that hasprevailed in the Church Theconfession of the Church continues tobe proclaimed in the whole worldthrough every generation and age Thesubstance of this opinion is that Christhas two perfect natures for he isperfect God and perfect Man

The question might be asked What arethe incentives and reasons which havecaused people and the Church Councils tobelieve in the Deity of Christ and Howhave these incentives and convictions beenable to make progress and become sofirmly rooted in the mind that they have

reached the status of being a doctrine forwhich people have lived and have sufferedmartyrdom Also Why do people andamongst them some of the greatest of human thinkers and geniuses in everygeneration and age believe in his deityand what are the irrefutable and conclusiveproofs on which they rely Thesequestions have to be answered before we






can have faith or convince people of the

truth of our faith in the deity of Christ andhis incarnation and makes it necessary forus to produce convincing and conclusiceproofs on the subject

First - Proof taken from the prophecies

The many successive verses of prophecyhave extended from the beginning of history up to the last books of the OldTestament that is during some fourthousand years It is not possible that these

verses have been tampered with fabricatedor altered by Christians for they werewritten in the scrolls of inspiration beforeChristianity The last of them were writtenapproximately four hundred years beforethe coming of Christ The sum of theseprophecies is that a divine person willcome from heaven in human form to bethe Saviour of the world This person willbe born of a woman and will be of the seedof Abraham from the tribe of Judah and

the family of David He will be born of avirgin and the place of his birth will be thetown of Bethlehem the city of David Atthe same time he is the mighty and eternalGod This cannot come to pass except byincarnation and the uniting of deity withhumanity The texts which give assuranceof this truth are many and what follows arethe clearest and most conspicuous of them

1 From the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah96)

For to us a child is born to us a son isgiven and the government will be onhis shoulders And he will be calledWonderful Counselor Mighty GodEverlasting Father Prince of PeaceAlso in Isaiah 714 Thereforethe Lord himself will give you a signThe virgin will be with child and willgive birth to a son and will call him

Immanuel Matthew 123 also tells us

that the word Immanuel means Godwith us

2 From the Psalms Psalm 1101

The LORD says to my Lord Sit atmy right hand until I make yourenemies a footstool for your feetThisexpression is very significant and wecannot find for it any explanationexcept to believe in the eternaldialogue between the Father and the

Son and to be sure that God is the onewho spoke

3 From Micah 52

But you Bethlehem Ephrathahthough you are small among the clansof Judah out of you will come for meone who will rule over Israel whoseorigins are from of old from ancienttimes

Second - Proofs taken from the sayings

of Christ

The famous preacher and man of GodCH Spurgeon said Christ is the greatcentral fact in the history of the world Alllines of history converge in him and allthe issues of providence run according tohis will al the greatest aims in life arefulfilled in his person When I add to allthis the fact that his miracles and thewonder of his acts witnessed to the truth of every word he spoke it must be

recognized that there is conclusive proof and irrefutable evidence to be drawn fromhis statements The Messiah attributed tohimself at least twenty truths which cannotbe ascribed except to God alone Some of the most important of these are

1 His Eternal Being

Perhaps this is one of the most






momentous things he ever stated when

speaking to Jewish religious leadershe said I tell you the truth beforeAbraham was born I am (John 858)This word I am is the same whichGod used of himself when Mosesasked Suppose I go to the Israelitesand say to them The God of yourfathers has sent me to you and theyask me What is his name Then whatshall I tell them God said to MosesI AM WHO I AM This is what you

are to say to the Israelites I AM hassent me to you (Exodus 31314)Thus Christ reveals in himself thesame God who appeared to Moses inthe burning bush on Mount Horeb

Also in John 175 it is recorded thatChrist in His intercessory prayer saidAnd now Father glorify me in yourpresence with the glory I had with youbefore the world began and verse 24Father I want those you have given

me to be with me where I am and tosee my glory the glory you have givenme because you loved me before thecreation of the world These wordsgive assurance of the eternal existenceof Christ and silence all tongues whichallege that this is not so

2 His coming from Heaven

In His dialogue with some of the JewsJesus said You are from below I am

from above You are of this world Iam not of this world (John 823)

Then in his discussion with thereligious leader Nicodemus he saidNo one has ever gone into heavenexcept the one who came fromheaven-- the Son of Man (John 313)Furthermore we read I am the Alphaand the Omega the First and the Last

the Beginning and the End

(Revelation 2213)

We note here that Jesus not onlyspeaks of his coming from heaven butalso of his existence in Heaven whilehe was on earth

3 His presence in all places and at alltimes

In Matthew 1820 it is stated that hesaid For where two or three cometogether in my name there am I with

them and after his resurrection hesaid to his disciples Therefore go andmake disciples of all nations baptizingthem in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit andteaching them to obey everything Ihave commanded you And surely I amwith you always to the very end of theage (Matthew 2819-20)

4 His unlimited power

He said at his appearing John on theisland of Patmos I am the Alpha andthe Omega says the Lord God whois and who was and who is to comethe Almighty (Revelation 18)

Third - Proof from His titles and divineacts

1 His power to create

The following verses make this clearThrough him all things were made

without him nothing was made that hasbeen made In him was life and thatlife was the light of men (John 134)

For by him all things were createdthings in heaven and on earth visibleand invisible whether thrones orpowers or rulers or authorities allthings were created by him and for






him(Colossians 116)

To make plain to everyone theadministration of this mystery whichfor ages past was kept hidden in Godwho created all things(Ephesians 39)

2 His power to raise the dead

As he approached the town gate adead person was being carried out-- theonly son of his mother and she was awidow And a large crowd from thetown was with her When the Lord saw

her his heart went out to her and hesaid Dont cry Then he went up andtouched the coffin and those carryingit stood still He said Young man Isay to you get up(Luke 712-14)

When he had said this Jesus called ina loud voice Lazarus come out Thedead man came out his hands and feetwrapped with strips of linen and acloth around his face Jesus said to

them Take off the grave clothes andlet him go(John 114344)

3 He will be the Judge of the wholeworld

When the Son of Man comes in hisglory and all the angels with him hewill sit on his throne in heavenly gloryAll the nations will be gathered beforehim and he will separate the peopleone from another as a shepherdseparates the sheep from the

goats(Matthew 253132)

Moreover the Father judges no onebut has entrusted all judgment to theSon(John 522)

4 He is worthy of worship

That all may honor the Son just asthey honor the Father(John 523)

The worship of the Son with the Father

was known to godly men in the OldTestament David said Serve theLORD with fear and rejoice withtrembling Kiss the Son lest he beangry and you be destroyed in yourway for his wrath can flare up in amoment Blessed are all who takerefuge in him (Psalm 21112)

5 He forgives sins

The Jews were always convinced that

God alone had the authority to forgivesins and they were astonished whenthey were present at one of Jesusmiracles and he said to the paralysedman Son your sins are forgiven(Mark 25) When their thoughts weredisturbed by his behaviour he said tothem Why are you thinking thesethings Which is easier to say to theparalytic Your sins are forgiven or tosay Get up take your mat and walkBut that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgivesins He said to the paralytic I tellyou get up take your mat and gohome He got up took his mat andwalked out in full view of them allThis amazed everyone and they praisedGod saying We have never seenanything like this (Mark 28-12)

6 He gives eternal life

He said in John 1027-28 My sheep

listen to my voice I know them andthey follow me I give them eternallife and they shall never perish no onecan snatch them out of my hand

7 He is equal with the Father

He himself stated I and the Father areone (John 1030) and Anyone whohas seen me has seen the Father How






can you say Show us the Father

Dont you believe that I am in theFather and that the Father is in meThe words I say to you are not just myown Rather it is the Father living inme who is doing his work Believe mewhen I say that I am in the Father andthe Father is in me or at least believeon the evidence of the miraclesthemselves (John 148-11)

8 He accepted worship and adoration

There is no doubt that Christ acceptedworship and adoration which is notpermissible for a mortal being ever toaccept This happened with the manwho was born blind When Jesusasked Do you believe in the Son of Man Who is he sir the man askedTell me so that I may believe in himJesus said You have now seen him infact he is the one speaking with youThen the man said Lord I believeand he worshiped him (John 935-38)

Fourth - Proof from the testimony of His disciples

The testimony of those who saw his glorywas clear complete and free fromuncertainty

The following are not exhaustive but aregiven by way of example

1 Thomas

This disciple after the resurrectionwhen he saw the marks of the nails inthe hands of Jesus and the wound inhis side which was pierced by a swordsaid My Lord and my God (John2028)

2 John

This inspired disciple said in John

520 We are in him who is true--

even in his Son Jesus Christ He is thetrue God and eternal life

3 Paul

The great apostle said in Romans 95Theirs are the patriarchs and fromthem is traced the human ancestry of Christ who is God over all foreverpraised Amen

9 The Doctrine Of The Holy

Trinity

Christianity believes that God is a livingspirit not a material body which it ispossible to see or to touch or to becomprehended by the senses He is asJesus said God is spirit and hisworshipers must worship in spirit and intruth (John 424) He is also the Father of the spirits of men for he created them inhis image and likeness as we read in the

Bible Let us make man in our image inour likeness and let them rule over the fishof the sea and the birds of the air over thelivestock over all the earth and over allthe creatures that move along the ground(Genesis 126) This God is one personcontaining three elements the Father theSon and the Holy Spirit

When we meditate upon this article of faith doubtless we confess that we areface to face with a mystery of the deepest

kind a mystery of life and existence SaintAugustine confessed and after him thegreat reformer Calvin that the Latinlanguage rich as it is in words and beautyis completely unable to express the depthof this mystery

One thing is sure that Christians did nottake this belief of the unity in diversity(the Trinity in the Godhead) from any






human source but they have believed in it

as a fact revealed by God and consistentthroughout the Bible

Maybe it would be better before wecommence the study of this subject togather up that which is clear of its historyin the Church of Christ and the thinkingwhich encompassed it until it became apermanent final and unchangeable belief

Christians in the time of the apostles andeven up to the second century AD were

not thinking of laying down a definiteformula of Christian beliefs seeing as theywere adhering to these beliefs andpractising their principles as set forth inthe Bible without reducing them todefinite unified doctrines If problems ordifficulties hindered them they referred tothe apostles and to their disciples whosucceeded them

However when heresies arose whichstirred up disagreements over some pointsthe most important being the status of Christ or the coming of the Holy Spiritfrom the Godhead there became an urgentneed for the church to state her views overthese controversies especially when theviews of Sabellius and Arius were beingspread abroad The first held that in theone God there was no trinity The Wordthe Father the Son and the Holy Spiritwere only Theophanies ormanifestations of God The second

declared that there was no equality theSon and the Holy Spirit were not equalwith the Father as both were according tohis claims create and thus inferior tohim and the Father had made them in thelikeness of his divine nature

The Church rejected these views becausethey were contrary to the Bible which

teaches clearly that there never was a time

when all three members of the Trinity didnot exist The Son was with the Fatherfrom eternity as we read in Pslam 1101The LORD says to my Lord Sit at myright hand until I make your enemies afootstool for your feet Psalm 168 wasspoken in connection with the Son I haveset the LORD always before me Becausehe is at my right hand I will not beshaken (Acts 225-28)

One of the outstanding men of the Churchwho combated the heresies and defendedthe faith was Saint Athanasius whoconfuted the heretical doctrines and issuedthe well-known Athanasian Creed whichcan be summarised as follows

1 Whoever desires salvation must beforeeverything else abide by the universalfaith of the Christian church

2 This universal faith is the worship of God who is one in three and three in

one3 We do not mingle the three nor

separate them in essence

4 The Father is one the Son is one andthe Holy Spirit is one but the Fatherthe Son and the Holy Spirit are one indeity and equal in glory and eternalmajesty

5 As is the Father so is the Son and so isthe Holy Spirit

6 The Father is uncreated the Son isuncreated and the Holy Spirit isuncreated They are not threeuncreated but One uncreated

7 The Father is unlimited the Son isunlimited and the Holy Spirit isunlimited They are not three unlimitedbut One unlimited

8 The Father is from eternity the Son is






from eternity and the Holy Spirit is

from eternity They are not three frometernity but one from eternity

9 The Father controls all things the Soncontrols all things and the Holy Spiritcontrols all things but they are notthree controllers but one

10 The Father is God the Son is God andthe Holy Spirit is God but they are notthree gods but one God

11 The Father is Lord the Son is Lordand the Holy Spirit is Lord but theyare not three lords but One Lord

12 Even as Christians truth commands usnot to confess that each of the personsis by himself God or Lord so also ourreligion forbids the saying that thereexist three gods and three lords

13 We have one Father not three fathersone Son and not three sons one HolySpirit and not three holy spirits

14 No one of these three persons existed

before or after the other Neither is onegreater or less than the other All threePersons are eternal and equal

15 Thus from all that has been said wemust worship the One in three and thethree in one

16 The true faith is that we believe andassert that our Lord Jesus Christ is Godfrom the essence of the Fatherbegotten from eternity and that he isman from the nature of his motherbegotten in this age

17 And he though he is God and Man isone Christ not two and he becameman by changing his deity tohumanity but by blending humanitywith deity

But what is there to support this truth andwhat is its basis What is the proof of its

genuineness and certainty How did it

attain this degree of influence stability andpermanancy in history

The only support is the Bible It is notpossible for man however great a thinkerhe may be to comprehend the nature of God without an unveiling and a revelationfrom God Himself Whatever comes fromoutside the Bible regarding the Trinity of philosophic thinking or logical argumentis nothing but an explanation or expositionby means of analogy Is it likely to beotherwise seeing we are contemplatingone of the most incomprehensiblemysteries that man has ever faced

What is quite certain is that the unity in thenature of God which the Bible proclaimsand which is beyond all contention orargument - the Old Testament as well asthe New have testified to it - is a completeunity which unveils the nature of the HolyTrinity which Christians believe in

Scholars in their study of this belief in theBible have believed it firmly establishedit and recorded it in the status of theChurch The most important of these is theNicene Creed the text of which is

I believe in One God the FatherAlmighty maker of heaven and earth andof all things visible and invisible and inOne Lord Jesus Christ the only begottenSon of God begotten of the Father before

all worlds God of God Light of LightVery God of Very God begotten notcreated being of one substance with theFather by whom all tings were made whofor us men and for our salvation camedown from heaven and was incarnate bythe Holy Ghost of the virgin Mary andwas made man and was crucified also forus under Pontius Pilate He suffered and






was buried and the third day he rose again

according to the Scriptures and ascendedinto heaven and sitteth on the right hand of the Father And he shall come again withglory to judge both the quick and the deadwhose kingdom shall have no end Ibelieve in the Holy Ghost the Lord andGiver of Life who proceedeth from theFather and the Son who with the Fatherand Son together is worshiped andglorified who spoke by the prophets Ibelieve in one holy universal and apostolic

church I acknowledge one baptism for theremission of sins and look for theresurrection of the dead and the life of theworld to come Amen

It is true that the Bible says The Lord ourGod is one God I am the Lord That is myname and my glory will I not give toanother but it is also full of versesshowing that in the person of God there isunity in plurality

Also from study of the Holy Books weunderstand that God is spoken of as havingcertain characteristics such as possessinghearing sight speech knowledge willand love for he is a person There is abond between him and his creatures whoalso have these characteristics It is surethat these qualities were not inoperative ineternity ie before he created man Thisleads us to conclude that God used toexercise these qualities and it isself-evident that such could only bebetween more than one intelligent personThis makes the existence of three personsin the Unity of God inevitable

There is no doubt that the one whomeditates deeply on this Christian belief will discover the following facts

1 That each of the three persons thefather the Son and the Holy Spirit are

given the titles and attributes of deity

and that each of the Father the Sonand the Holy Spirit are worthy of honour and trust and worship

2 The Bible makes it clear that the Sonis divine even as the Father Jesus saidin John 523 that all may honor theSon just as they honor the Father

3 The deity of the Holy Spirit is alsoclear from the Bible text even as is thedeity of the Father and the Son Godis spirit and his worshipers must

worship in spirit and in truth (John424)

Also when we study Christian doctrine wesee that the names of the Holy Trinity iethe Father the Son and the Holy Spiritare not expressions of differingrelationships between God and hiscreatures such as is indicated in the termsCreator or Guardian or BenefactorThough this is alleged by some it is anassertion which is refuted by the followingpoints

1 Each of the Father Son and HolySpirit speak of themselves as I

2 Each One when speaking to the otherdirectly says Thou and indirectlyHe

3 The Father loves the Son and the Sonloves the Father and the Holy Spiritwitnesses to the Son and glorifies him

Thus the natural result of all these factsand Biblical truths is that Christians havebrought to the world their great doctrinethe doctrine of their belief in One God andthe Holy Trinity The Father Son andHoly Spirit

Many may say that this teaching is beyondour comprehension But such a statementdoes not elucidate Christian teaching even






as it does not elucidate scientific facts

which are difficult to understand We haveto confess that our limited minds were notcreated to gauge what is possible orimpossible concerning that which isbeyond our comprehension

10 The Oneness Of The ThreePersons Of The Trinity

1 In Deity

The Scriptures given by the

inspiration of God state concerning

1 The Father - that he is God ourFather May our Lord Jesus Christhimself and God our Father wholoved us and by his grace gave useternal encouragement and goodhope (2 Thessalonians 216)

2 The Son - But about the Son hesays Your throne O God will lastfor ever and ever and

righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom (Hebrews 18)

3 The Holy Spirit - Ananias how isit that Satan has so filled your heartthat you have lied to the HolySpirit You have not lied to menbut to God (Acts 53-5)

2 In Lordship

1 About the Father - that he is LordAt that time Jesus full of joythrough the Holy Spirit said I

praise you Father Lord of heavenand earth (Luke 1021)

2 About the Son - that he is LordYou know the message God sentto the people of Israel telling thegood news of peace through JesusChrist who is Lord of all (Acts1036)

3 About the Holy Spirit Now the

Lord is the Spirit and where theSpirit of the Lord is there isfreedom (2 Corinthians 317)

3 In Eternity

1 The Father is eternal Reverencethe God of Daniel For he is theliving God and he endures foreverhis kingdom will not be destroyedhis dominion will never end(Daniel 626)

2 The Son is eternal I am the Alphaand the Omega says the LordGod who is and who was andwho is to come the Almighty(Revelation 18)

3 The Holy Spirit is eternal Howmuch more then will the blood of Christ who through the eternalSpirit offered himself unblemishedto God cleanse our consciencesfrom acts that lead to death so thatwe may serve the living God(Hebrews 914)

4 In Their Omnipresence

1 The Father One God and Fatherof all who is over all and throughall and in all (Ephesians 46)

2 The Son For where two or threecome together in my name theream I with them (Matthew 1820)

3 The Holy Spirit Where can I gofrom your Spirit Where can I fleefrom your presence If I go up tothe heavens you are there if Imake my bed in the depths you arethere If I rise on the wings of thedawn if I settle on the far side of the sea even there your hand willguide me your right hand will holdme fast (Psalm 1397-10)






5 In Their Worthiness of Worship

1 The Father Yet a time is comingand has now come when the trueworshipers will worship the Fatherin spirit and truth for they are thekind of worshipers the Fatherseeks (John 423)

2 The Son That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow inheaven and on earth and under theearth and every tongue confessthat Jesus Christ is Lord to the

glory of God the Father(Philippians 210-11)

3 The Holy Spirit who prepares thebelievers to worship In the sameway the Spirit helps us in ourweakness We do not know whatwe ought to pray for but the Spirithimself intercedes for us withgroans that words cannot express(Romans 826-28)

6 In the Quality of Truth

1 The Father is Truth Sanctify themby the truth your word is truth(John 1717)

2 The Son is Truth I am the wayand the truth and the life No onecomes to the Father except throughme (John 146)

3 the Holy Spirit is truth And I willask the Father and he will give youanother Counselor to be with you

forever-- the Spirit of truth Theworld cannot accept him becauseit neither sees him nor knows himBut you know him for he liveswith you and will be in you (John1416-17)

7 In the Quality of Love

1 The Father is love Jesus said No

the Father himself loves you

because you have loved me andhave believed that I came fromGod (John 1627)

2 The Son is love You are myfriends if you do what I commandI no longer call you servantsbecause a servant does not knowhis masters business Instead Ihave called you friends foreverything that I learned from myFather I have made known to you

(John 151415)3 The Holy Spirit is love For God

did not give us a spirit of timiditybut a spirit of power of love and of self-discipline (2 Timothy 17)

8 In Holiness

1 The Father is holy In hisintercessory prayer Jesus saidHoly Father protect them by thepower of your name-- the nameyou gave me-- so that they may beone as we are one (John 1711)

2 The Son is holy The angel said tothe virgin Mary The Holy Spiritwill come upon you and the powerof the Most High will overshadowyou So the holy one to be bornwill be called the Son of God(Luke 135)

3 The Holy Spirit is holy And donot grieve the Holy Spirit of God

with whom you were sealed for theday of redemption (Ephesians430)

11 A Reply To Objections

1 The objection to the Deity of Christ

Perhaps someone will object to thedeity of Christ and support his






objection with the saying of Christ in

John 530 By myself I can donothing for I seek not to pleasemyself but him who sent me AlsoJohn 1428 For the Father is greaterthan I

To this objection we say that thesestatements do not disprove the deity of Christ with regard to the fact of hisrelationship to the Father within theTrinity for it was necessary for mansredemption that the second person of the Trinity should become incarnate tocarry out the divine will by offeringhimself to atone for the sin of mankind After he had completed thisdivine work he ascended to heaven andsat on the right hand of God inheavenly places far above all rule andauthority power and dominion andevery title that can be given not onlyin the present age but also in the one tocome And God placed all things under

his feet and appointed him to be headover everything for the church whichis his body the fullness of him whofills everything in every way(Ephesians 121-23)

We understand from the teaching of the apostles that the work of redemption necessitated that theredeemer should be a man in order toshare the nature of those whom he hadcome to redeem Also to be God thathe might have supreme power toovercome sin and set free from itsauthority all who believe in him Allwho study the Bible find the shadow of this Redeemer throughout its linesfrom the book of Genesis to the book of Revelation Sometimes he is seenborn of a woman born under law toredeem those under law that we might

receive the full rights of sons

(Galatians 44) Sometimes he is seenas God that he might be the centre forworship of his chosen ones and theobject of their faith

Christ is an amazing person he is Godand Man in One He filled the vision of the prophets throughout thegenerations before his incarnationIsaiah pointed to his coming in theflesh as the greatest of Gods wondersand signs when he says the Lordhimself will give you a sign Thevirgin will be with child and will givebirth to a son and will call himImmanuel --which means God withus (Isaiah 714 and Matthew122-23) Isaiah also described himwith the words he will be calledWonderful Counselor Mighty GodEverlasting Father Prince of Peace(Isaiah 96)

2 The objection to the Deity of theHoly Spirit

Some say that the Holy Spirit is not aperson of the Trinity but rather that heis the power of God carrying our hiswork in the universe and in the heartsof men But the texts of the Bible makeit clear that the Holy Spirit is a personand not merely a divine power at work in us Mere power cannot be said to bethe possessor of holiness truth

wisdom or will neither can it speak orbe spoken to

It is recorded in the Bible that at thebaptism of Christ the Holy Spiritdescended upon him in bodily form asa dove and there was a voice fromheaven which said You are my Sonwhom I love with you I am wellpleased (Luke 322) This reveals the






three persons at one time for the Holy

Spirit descended from heaven fromthe Father who spoke from heavenupon the Son who was on earth

Likewise the promise of Christ to hisdisciples of another Comforter theapostolic blessing The grace of theLord Jesus Christ and the love of Godand the fellowship of the Holy Spiritbe with you all and the apostle Paulsdeclaration For through him (Jesus)we have access in one Spirit to theFather indicate three persons of theGodhead

All who study the Bible find manypassages which show the falsity of theclaim that the Holy Spirit is merelydivine power One of them is theapostles statement that through theSpirit the church was given many giftsone of which was the working of miracles (see 1 Corinthians 124-11) If

the Holy Spirit is merely power themeaning would be that the Spirit is justone of the gifts

There are other passages also whichshow he is a person and not a meregift or power among them

Luke 414 Jesus returned to Galileein the power of the Spirit

Acts 1038 God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and

power

Romans 1513 That you mayoverflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit

Romans 1519 By the power of signsand miracles through the power of theSpirit

If this objection were true we should

have to say that Jesus returned in thepower of the power or that you mayoverflow with hope by the power of the holy power The apostolicblessing would read like this thegrace of the Lord Jesus Christ and thelove of God and the fellowship of theholy power be with you all NoChristian could accept such renderings

3 The objection to the doctrine of theTrinity

Many times the question is askedWhat is your evidence for theplurality of the Godhead The answeris that the unity of God is prominent inthe Bible and the acknowledgementthat the universe has no place foranother like God does not necessarilyprevent there being three persons whoare one in essence

We conclude this from the texts of the

Bible The expression generally used in theOld Testament for God is the pluralElohim as is also the pronoun we Themost outstanding of these texts is found inDeuteronomy 64 Hear O Israel TheLORD our God the LORD is one Herethe word our God is in the plural thoughthe purpose of it is to show the unity of God There are many other texts alsowhich mention the name of God in theplural from such as

Genesis 126 Let us make man in ourimage in our likeness

Genesis 322 And the LORD God saidThe man has now become like one of us

Genesis 117 Come let us go down andconfuse their language

Isaiah 68 Then I heard the voice of the






Lord saying Whom shall I send And

who will go for us

Some say that in this way Gods purposewas to glorify himself as some kings doBut the word God spoke in Genesis 322the man has now become like one of usrefutes this as this expression indicates theexistence of speaker and listeners

Though the mystery of the Trinity isbeyond our comprehension this does notmean we must reject it because of our

limitations The revelations of the divineare many and their comprehension isbeyond our capacity There is forexample his self-existence his eternalexistence his being the first cause of allthings as well as his omnipresence and hisomniscience from eternity to eternity andthrough all time

It is submitted that the doctrine of theTrinity even if it is beyond ourunderstanding does not exclude unity noris there in it anything to compel us toreject it nor anything which isinconceivable to faith or reason because itdoes not mean the existence of three gods

Some may ask Is the doctrine of theTrinity any advantage to the Christianreligion The benefit of the teaching of the Trinity appears in assisting theexplanation of other important teachingsFor example

1 It enhances the deity and reveals itsperfections

The unity without the Trinity limitsit and leaves it devoid of every contentof happiness and love We find in thecounsel of the Trinity the love of onefor another which gives the deity allthe requirements of eternal happiness

2 The Trinity is a means by which God

reveals himself to his creaturesEach one the Father the Son and theHoly Spirit are of one substance TheSon has full knowledge of the Fatherand can reveal him perfectly The HolySpirit is of the essence of deity and canthus reveal it to mankind

By means of the three persons Goddraws near to his creatures Butwithout this approach God remains far

from us veiled from our understandingand cut off from our experience

3 The Trinity is the means by which Godcompleted the work of redemption inall its requirements

The second person became flesh andatoned for our sins He interceded andmediated for us and provided a meansof justification reconciliation andsalvation The apostle says God wasreconciling the world to himself inChrist not counting mens sins againstthem And he has committed to us themessage of reconciliation (2Corinthians 519) It is also saidconcerning the work of the thirdperson the Holy Spirit that he renewsour hearts and enlightens our mindsand sanctifies us with the holinesswhich enables us to enter the presenceof God Truly without the TrinityGod could not become Redeemer and

Saviour Sanctifier und Judge in a waywhich fulfills the sinners need of redemption from the curse of the lawwhich condemns him because of sin

4 The Trinity presents God as a patternfor human life

In loving social relations and familyharmony we see the true quality of






Fatherhood in the first person and true

Sonship in the second person whichelevates both the aspect of fatherhoodand sonship among men

Unquestionably if we empty the deity of all feelings of love God would become amighty and severe Lord to us whosemight and severity would separate us fromhim

12 Quiz

If you have read this booklet carefully youwill be able to answer these questionseasily

1 What are some points where Islam andChristianity touch on identical views inregard to the personality of Christ

2 What are the reasons which led theMuslims to refuse the Christianteaching of the Trinity

3 In your opinion do the Muslims have

sufficient reason for saying that thegospels are distorted because they donot mention Muhammad as being aprophet

4 What is the distinguishingcharacteristic of Christ in the Quran

5 Which miracle does Islam accredit toChrist (which does not accur in thegospel)

6 Is one able to perceive the deity of

Christ in the Quranic texts7 In your opinion what are the reasons

which led Islam to deny theFatherhood of God

8 What conclusions does Islam makeabout the deity of Christ

9 How would you answer the ImamArrazi in his denial of the teachings of

Christ

10 How would you refute the statement of Islam that Christ was just a slave

11 Briefly state the evidence from theHoly Bible about the divinity of Christ

12 Did Christ mention his relationship tothe Godhead in the Gospel Givereferences

13 What evidence is given from the OldTestament prophets and the NewTestament Apostles about the deity of

Christ14 Did Christ ask the people to honour

him as they honour the Father

15 How would you specify the views of the agnostics and aruists which showtheir denial of the person of Christ

16 Is there a Psalm which reveals theacceptance of Christ in the Godhead

17 How would you personally explainthe truth that God is a Trinity

18 How would you answer those who saythat the Holy Trinity is three Gods

19 Does the expression The HolyTrinity have roots in the holy books(Quran and Bible)

20 Give a text from the Holy Bible whichshows the uniqueness of the HolyTrinity

You can copy and paste these questionsinto the contact form and write the answerbelow each question

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3636All Ri h R d Th G d W P bli hi



1 Christ In Islam

Christ is mentioned 93 times in 15 versesof the Quran Muslim thinking reverts to

these verses whenever the Person of Christcomes under discussion

Most of the time Muslim theologiansresorted to the Christian text in theirinterpretation of these verses Theyaccepted from this text only that whichseemed to agree with Muslim thought andalways refused any attempt to findagreement between the Gospel and theQuran due to the differences between the

basic beliefs and traditional stories setforth in the two books In their endeavourto uphold the validity of the Quran theyallege the alteration (corruption) of theGospel whenever its text contradicts theQuran

In this discussion I will try to showQuranic thought in its gradualdevelopment when it opposes the Christian

doctrines It is possible for me to begin

with the statement that anyone whoinvestigates the text of the Quran willnotice that the first Quranic verses fromthe Meccan period were very sympatheticto Christianity and were favourablydisposed to Christ and His followers toclergymen and monks By the end of Muhammds period in Medina the verseshad bacome harsh being hosile toChistians and rejecting the deity of Christcompletely Muhammad saw in the dogma

of the Trinity that which conflicts with theunity of God which Islam proclaims andon which its message is based There are anumber of verses in the Quran whichcriticise severely the doctrine of theTrinity accuse the Christians of Polytheism of associating partners withGod and of exaggeration in their religion

Perhaps Muhammad was disturbed by theTrinity held by some heretical Christiansects which were scattered throuthout the

Arabian peninsula which consisted of God His partner Mary and her son IsaEven though no true Christian has everstated such an idea the Muslims havemade a great issue of it which they havenever abandoned inspite of all theexplanations given by Christians on everypossible occasion

There is also another deep-rooted problemThe reason for this is a verse in the Quranwhich says Remember Isa Son of Marysaid O children of Israel Lo I am theEmissary (Apostle Ambassador) of Allahunto you confirming that which is in MyHands from the Torah and proclaiminggood tidings of an Emissary who comethafter Me whose name is Ahmad (the MostPraised One) Yet when He came to themwith proofs they said This is pure magic(Sura al-Saffat 376)
































































































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The Good Way

PO BOX 66

CH-8486 Rikon






Switzerland








































1 Perfect Deity












2 Human Only





























3 From Micah 52



of Christ



1 His Eternal Being

















(Revelation 2213)

















him(Colossians 116)















5 He forgives sins




















1 Thomas


2 John




3 Paul



Trinity























































































1 In Deity







2 In Lordship






3 In Eternity






























8 In Holiness






































power



















who will go for us

























12 Quiz













Christ















The Good Way

PO BOX 66

CH-8486 Rikon






Switzerland











2 Human Only





























3 From Micah 52



of Christ



1 His Eternal Being

















(Revelation 2213)

















him(Colossians 116)















5 He forgives sins




















1 Thomas


2 John




3 Paul



Trinity























































































1 In Deity







2 In Lordship






3 In Eternity






























8 In Holiness






































power



















who will go for us

























12 Quiz













Christ















The Good Way

PO BOX 66

CH-8486 Rikon






Switzerland



















3 From Micah 52



of Christ



1 His Eternal Being

















(Revelation 2213)

















him(Colossians 116)















5 He forgives sins




















1 Thomas


2 John




3 Paul



Trinity























































































1 In Deity







2 In Lordship






3 In Eternity






























8 In Holiness






































power



















who will go for us

























12 Quiz













Christ















The Good Way

PO BOX 66

CH-8486 Rikon






Switzerland
















(Revelation 2213)

















him(Colossians 116)















5 He forgives sins




















1 Thomas


2 John




3 Paul



Trinity























































































1 In Deity







2 In Lordship






3 In Eternity






























8 In Holiness






































power



















who will go for us

























12 Quiz













Christ















The Good Way

PO BOX 66

CH-8486 Rikon






Switzerland






him(Colossians 116)















5 He forgives sins




















1 Thomas


2 John




3 Paul



Trinity























































































1 In Deity







2 In Lordship






3 In Eternity






























8 In Holiness






































power



















who will go for us

























12 Quiz













Christ















The Good Way

PO BOX 66

CH-8486 Rikon






Switzerland













1 Thomas


2 John




3 Paul



Trinity























































































1 In Deity







2 In Lordship






3 In Eternity






























8 In Holiness






































power



















who will go for us

























12 Quiz













Christ















The Good Way

PO BOX 66

CH-8486 Rikon






Switzerland


















































































1 In Deity







2 In Lordship






3 In Eternity






























8 In Holiness






































power



















who will go for us

























12 Quiz













Christ















The Good Way

PO BOX 66

CH-8486 Rikon






Switzerland























8 In Holiness






































power



















who will go for us

























12 Quiz













Christ















The Good Way

PO BOX 66

CH-8486 Rikon






Switzerland































power



















who will go for us

























12 Quiz













Christ















The Good Way

PO BOX 66

CH-8486 Rikon






Switzerland







who will go for us

























12 Quiz













Christ















The Good Way

PO BOX 66

CH-8486 Rikon






Switzerland









12 Quiz













Christ















The Good Way

PO BOX 66

CH-8486 Rikon






Switzerland






Switzerland




the person of christ in the gospel and the quran - by abd al-fadi

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