Is Jesus God?
Quran clearly answers this question
"They do blaspheme who say:‘God is Christ the sonOf Mary.’ But said Christ:‘O Children of Israel! Worship God, my LordAnd your Lord’. Whoever joins other gods with God –God will forbid him the Garden, and the FireWill be his abode. There will for the wrongdoersBe no one to help."
"They do blaspheme who say:‘God is Christ the sonOf Mary.’ But said Christ:‘O Children of Israel! Worship God, my LordAnd your Lord’. Whoever joins other gods with God –God will forbid him the Garden, and the FireWill be his abode. There will for the wrongdoersBe no one to help."
[Al Qur’an 5:72]
Infact Quran is very clear that God is not like any of His creation
"Say: He is God, The One and Only.
God, the Eternal, Absolute.
He begets not, nor is He begotten.
And there is none like unto Him."
[Al Qur’an 112:1-4]
and forbids associating partnes with God
" Say (Oh Muhammad) : 'I am but a man like yourselves, (but) the inspiration has come to me, that your God is one God: whoever expects to meet his Lord, let him work righteousness, and, in the worship of his Lord, admit no one as partner'. "
[Al Qur'an 18:110]
What does the Bible say
The Christians claim that Bible say that Jesus (PBUH) is God. Infact, if we read the Bible we find that there is not a single unequivocal statement in the Bible in which Jesus (PBUH) claims to be God. On the contrary, what we find is that the Bible denies the divinity of Jesus (PBUH).
The Old Testament
In the Old Testament God describes Himself as follows
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:"
"Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God."
[The Bible, Exodus 20:3-5]
Old Testament further says
"God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent . . ."
[The Bible, Numbers 23:19]
and we know very well that 'son of man' is a title of Jesus in the Bible. So we see that this verse clearly denies that Jesus was God.
Some people say that this verse is not against God being the 'son of man', but is against God repenting as it says 'neither the son of man , that he should repent'. They fail to realise that 'repenting' is not a problem as far as Bible is concerned as we are told that God 'repented' a number of times in the Old Testament.
" . . and the Lord REPENTED that he made Saul king over Israel "
Some people say that this verse is not against God being the 'son of man', but is against God repenting as it says 'neither the son of man , that he should repent'. They fail to realise that 'repenting' is not a problem as far as Bible is concerned as we are told that God 'repented' a number of times in the Old Testament.
" . . and the Lord REPENTED that he made Saul king over Israel "
[The Bible, Samuel 15:35]
And the Lord REPENTED of the evil which he thought to do unto his people (Israel)"
[The Bible, Exodus 32:14]
so in this context we realise that it is being the 'son of man' that God was not, and it has nothing to do with repentance.
Furthermore we are told that no man who sees God can remain alive
"And he (God) said, Thou canst see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
Furthermore we are told that no man who sees God can remain alive
"And he (God) said, Thou canst see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
[The Bible, Exodus 33:20]
The New Testament
In the new Testament also we find a number of statements in which Jesus (PBUH) himself denies divinity. He is reported to have said
"My Father is greater than I."
[The Bible, John 14:28]
"My Father is greater than all."
[The Bible, John 10:29]
"…I cast out devils by the Spirit of God…."
[The Bible, Mathew 12:28]
"…I with the finger of God cast out devils…."
[The Bible, Luke 11:20]
"I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgement is just; because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me."
[The Bible, John 5:30]
Jesus Refuted even the Remotest Suggestion of his Divinity
"And behold, one came and said unto him, ‘Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?’
And he said unto him, ‘Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.’ "
[The Bible, Mathew 19:16-17]
and he made it even more clearer when he said
"And this is life eternal, that they might know THEE the ONLY true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent."
[The Bible, John 17:3]
The Objections Raised
Some christians object to it and say that there are other verses of the Bible that indicate his divinity. Let us examine these
The Virgin Birth
Christians claim that since Jesus was born without a father, his father was God. Qur'an gives the answer to this
"The similitude of Jesus before God is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: "Be". And he was."
[Al Qur'an 3:59]
Here we realize that Adam was created without a father and a mother, but no Christian has claimed that he was God or His son. Furthermore there is one more person mentioned in the Bible, who is without a father. MELCHIDESEK is described as
"Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life. . ."
[The Bible, Hebrews 7:3]
The Miracles
Some christians claim that the miracles performed by Jesus (PBUH) prove his divinity. However, other prophets were recorded to have done the same or similar miracles in the Old Testament.
Jesus fed 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fishes.
Elisha fed 100 people with twenty barley loaves and a few ears of corn (II Kings 4:44)
Jesus healed lepers.
Elisha cured Naaman the leper (II Kings 5:14)
Jesus caused the blind to see.
Elisha caused the blind to see (II Kings 6:17&20)
Jesus raised the dead.
Elijah did the same (I Kings 17:22)
So did Elisha (II Kings 4:34)
Even Elisha’s bones could restore the dead (II Kings 13:21)
Jesus walked on water.
Moses and his people crossed the dead sea (Exodus 14:22)
“In the beginning was the Word”
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
based on this verse Christians claim that Jesus (PBUH) was God. However if we see the original greek text. it says
en arch hn o logoV, kai o logoV hn proV ton qeon, kai qeoV hn o logoV.
Greek word: o
Transliteration: ho
Pronunciation: ho
Translation: the
Greek word: logoV
Transliteration: logos
Pronunciation: log’-os
Translation: word
Greek word: qeoV
Transliterated: theos
Pronounced: theh’-os
Translation: theos
Jesus walked on water.
Moses and his people crossed the dead sea (Exodus 14:22)
“In the beginning was the Word”
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
based on this verse Christians claim that Jesus (PBUH) was God. However if we see the original greek text. it says
en arch hn o logoV, kai o logoV hn proV ton qeon, kai qeoV hn o logoV.
Greek word: o
Transliteration: ho
Pronunciation: ho
Translation: the
Greek word: logoV
Transliteration: logos
Pronunciation: log’-os
Translation: word
Greek word: qeoV
Transliterated: theos
Pronounced: theh’-os
Translation: theos
According to the “Thayer’s Greek Definitions”, “A god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.”
According to Strong’s Greek Dictionary, “A deity.”
Do note that when ‘theos’ is the subject, then it is written as ‘qeoV’ (theos) and when it is the direct object (accusative) then it is written as ‘qeon’ (theon). In the Greek text of the verse John 1:1, it can be seen that there is an article before ‘qeon’ and the text is thus written as ‘tonqeon’ which is transliterated to be ‘ton theon’ and should be translated as ‘the God’ or one can even translate it as only ‘God’. The point is that using the definite article, the word refers to God and not to the other meanings of the word ‘theos’ i.e. ‘a god’ or any god or goddess.
In the second instance where we see ‘theos’, it is written as ‘qeoV’ and there is no article before it. If this word would have been referring to ‘God’, then we would have seen the article ‘o’ (ho) before it. The article ‘ho’ is used before the word if it is the subject. However we see that there is an absence of a definite article. Thus it means that in this place, ‘theos’ should be translated as ‘god’ or ‘a god’ and not as ‘God’.
Therefore the correct translation would be
In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was a god.
but when we read 2nd Corinthians 4:4 the Greek text says
en oiV o qeoV tou aiwnoV toutou etuflwsen ta nohmata twn apistwn eiV to mh augasai ton fwtismon tou euaggeliou thV doxhV tou cristou, oV estin eikwn tou qeou.
we find that there is a definite article before theos, and should be translated as God, the definite form. And should be translated as
“In their case the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God.”
Here we see God is used for satan and that too in a definite form.
"I and the Father are one."
Many christians quote John 10:30 saying that Jesus is God because he said
According to Strong’s Greek Dictionary, “A deity.”
Do note that when ‘theos’ is the subject, then it is written as ‘qeoV’ (theos) and when it is the direct object (accusative) then it is written as ‘qeon’ (theon). In the Greek text of the verse John 1:1, it can be seen that there is an article before ‘qeon’ and the text is thus written as ‘tonqeon’ which is transliterated to be ‘ton theon’ and should be translated as ‘the God’ or one can even translate it as only ‘God’. The point is that using the definite article, the word refers to God and not to the other meanings of the word ‘theos’ i.e. ‘a god’ or any god or goddess.
In the second instance where we see ‘theos’, it is written as ‘qeoV’ and there is no article before it. If this word would have been referring to ‘God’, then we would have seen the article ‘o’ (ho) before it. The article ‘ho’ is used before the word if it is the subject. However we see that there is an absence of a definite article. Thus it means that in this place, ‘theos’ should be translated as ‘god’ or ‘a god’ and not as ‘God’.
Therefore the correct translation would be
In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was a god.
but when we read 2nd Corinthians 4:4 the Greek text says
en oiV o qeoV tou aiwnoV toutou etuflwsen ta nohmata twn apistwn eiV to mh augasai ton fwtismon tou euaggeliou thV doxhV tou cristou, oV estin eikwn tou qeou.
we find that there is a definite article before theos, and should be translated as God, the definite form. And should be translated as
“In their case the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God.”
Here we see God is used for satan and that too in a definite form.
"I and the Father are one."
Many christians quote John 10:30 saying that Jesus is God because he said
"I and the Father are one."
[The Bible, John 10:30]
However this is out of context. Infact if we read further we find that Jesus denied claiming divinity here
31. "Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him,"
32. "but Jesus said to them, I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?"
33. "The Jews answered him, saying : 'For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself a God.'" (John 10:31-33).
34. "Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your Law, `I have said you are gods'?"
35. "If he called them `gods,' to whom the word of God came --and the Scripture cannot be broken--,"
36. "what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, `I am God's Son'?"
[The Bible, John 10:34-36]
82nd Psalm, verse 6, "I have said, ye are gods: and all of you are the children of the most High."
here we see all humans were called as gods and children of God and Jesus (PBUH) was speaking in the same context. Furthermore Jesus (PBUH) used the same 'one' for his disciples as well
Jesus said, “ I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word,
that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou has sent me.”
[The Bible, John 17:20-21]
“He Accepted Worship”
It is argued that since Jesus (PBUH) is reported to have accepted the worship he must have been God. However we find that even Daniel is reported in the Bible to have accepted worship
Daniel accepts worship
[46] Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him.
but no one has ever climed that Daniel was God
The Son of God
Another of the evidences used for Jesus’ divinity is the application of the title “Son of God” to Jesus. However, there are numerous places in the Old Testament where his title has been given to others.
“And you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Israel is my first-born son,
and I say to you, ‘Let my son go that he may serve me.’”
[The Bible, Exodus 4:22-23]
God is recorded as saying to Prophet David, in Psalms 2:7, “I will tell the decree of the Lord: He said to me, ‘You are my son, today I have begotten you.’ ”
Job 1:6, “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them"
In 2nd Samuel 8:13-14, God calls Prophet Solomon His son, “13 He [Solomon] shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 14I will be his father, and he shall be my son.”
The Pre-existence of Christ
“Jesus said unto them, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.’”
[The Bible, John 8:58]
some christians claim that according to this verse Jesus claimed to be God. However we find that there were other prophets who claimed pre-existance
Jeremiah described himself in The Book of Jeremiah 1:4-5 as follows: “Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’ ”
some christians argue and say that 'I am' is a name of God in the Old Testament. if we consider this true then all Jesus was saying was
Before Abraham was,God.
i.e. God existed before Abraham.
Glory with the Father
"And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."
Jeremiah described himself in The Book of Jeremiah 1:4-5 as follows: “Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’ ”
some christians argue and say that 'I am' is a name of God in the Old Testament. if we consider this true then all Jesus was saying was
Before Abraham was,God.
i.e. God existed before Abraham.
Glory with the Father
"And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."
[The Bible, John 17:5]
Here we find that Jesus (PBUH) asks the Father to glorify him by giving him eternal life in paradise. This we come to know because Jesus also promised same glory to his disciples
" I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:"
[The Bible, John 17:22]
and regarding having the glory with God, we must realize that according to Biblical concept, man had glory with God before the world, as he was created in the image of God and was sinless. and so we see that Jesus asked God to glorify him with that same glory in the eternal life of paradise. so we see, even this verse does not proove the divinity of Jesus.
Seen me has seen the Father
Some people say that Jesus is God because he said
Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
[The Bible, John 14:9]
However if it is read in context of
"And he (God) said, Thou canst see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live."
[The Bible, Exodus 33:20]
you would realise that Jesus was not claiming divinity, when Jesus said 'Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father', he meant that he was a sign that God exists and was enough proof. there was no question of asking 'Show us the Father', as they should have known that God cannot be seen. seeing Jesus was enogh proof that God existed and hence was like seeing God.
The way, the truth and the life
Some say that Jesus claimed divinity when he said
" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
The way, the truth and the life
Some say that Jesus claimed divinity when he said
" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
[The Bible, John 14:6]
However if we analyse every Prophet was 'way, the truth and life' at his time, and to reach the Father, one had to obey him. As in story of Matthew 19:17 he told the man to 'follow me'. So Jesus (PBUH) was correct when he told his disciples that he was 'the way and the truth and the life', as salvation was through following Jesus at that time.
The resurrection and the life
It is quoted that Jesus said
" Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.""
[The Bible, John 11:25]
However this is out of context. In context it says
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;
26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
meaning life and resurrection depends on beelief in Jesus. anyone who does not believe in Jesus will surely not have everlasting life. Even Islam teaches the same thing.
Light of the world
Some people say that he is God because he said
" When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world."
meaning life and resurrection depends on beelief in Jesus. anyone who does not believe in Jesus will surely not have everlasting life. Even Islam teaches the same thing.
Light of the world
Some people say that he is God because he said
" When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world."
[The Bible, John 8:12]
However, this also is quoted out of context. The complete verse says
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness , but will have the light of life."
meaning that he is the example for us and we need to follow him.
Jesus forgave Sins
Some christians claim that Jesus is God because he forgave sins. However i we read in context of
"… and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me."
[The Bible, John 14:24]
We realize that ts God who forgave sins, Jesus only spoke it up.
Jesus will reward
Matthew 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.
If we read this in context of
John 5:19Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself ; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
it clarifies that they will be judged and rewarded by the Father.
In the name of
Matthew 28:19
19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
The point to be noted in this verse is that Jesus used 'And' between the three. so we realize that he meant in the name of God, His prophet, and the holy spirit and not three names of God.
No one knows the Father except the Son
Matthew 11:27
27"All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
It is very obvious here that 'No one knows the Son except the Father', because the Father created the son. 'no one knows the Father except the Son' because the son was God's prophet and was getting revelation from Him. 'and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.' i.e those he taught.
My Lord and MY GOD
John 20:28
Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
If we analyse, this is an exclamation. Some people argue and say that Thomas said 'My Lord and my God' to Jesus and therefore Jesus is God. These people fail to realize that 'lord' and 'God' words are also used for other prophets in the Bible
Abraham was called Lord
Genesis 23:10 Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city. 11 "No, my LORD ," he said. "Listen to me; I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead."
Moses was called as God
Exodus 7:1, “And the Lord said unto Moses, ‘See, I have made thee God to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.”
and even satan was called as 'God' as i had quoted before. This is the language of the Bible. in in 'God' is used to denote authority. However the distinction is made between the True God and just any 'God' by Jesus himself when he said
Jesus said "And this is life eternal, that they might know THEE the ONLY true God , AND Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent. "
[The Bible, John 17:3]
Alpha and Omega
In the Book of Revelation 1, verse 8, it is implied that Jesus said the following about himself: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”
However, the above-mentioned wording is according to the King James Version. In the Revised Standard Version, biblical scholars corrected the translation and wrote: “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” A correction was also made in the New American Bible produced by Catholics. The translation of that verse has been amended to put it in its correct context as follows: “The Lord God says: ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the one who is and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’ ” With these corrections, it becomes evident that this was a statement of God and not a statement of Prophet Jesus.
Conclusion
So we realize that Jesus (PBUH) never claimed divinity. Infact he denied all such claims. This has been confirmed in the last and final revelation of God
"Christ the son of Mary was no more than an apostle; many were the apostles that passed away before him. His mother was a woman of truth. They had both to eat their (daily) food. See how God doth make His signs clear to them; yet see in what ways they are deluded away from the truth!"
[Al Qur'an 5:75]
I would like to conclude by quoting a verse from the Quran
"Such (was) Jesus the son of Mary: (it is) a statement of truth, about which they (vainly) dispute.
It is not befitting to (the majesty of) God that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! when He determines a matter, He only says to it, "Be", and it is."
[Al Qur'an 19:34-35]