Jesus called Himself the "Son of God" throughout the Gospels,
(John 3:16-18) 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
and the disciples also identified Him as the Son of God in their writings,
(Rom 1:3) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
Further, Jesus identified Himself as God revealed in the flesh,
(John 8:58) Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
and His disciples identified Him as God,
(John 1:1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(Phil 2:5-11) 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
How could Jesus be The Son of God, and God at the same time?
What does this term -"Son of God" mean?
And if Jesus is the Son, in what way is Jesus God's Son?
Did God have physical relations with Mary and get her pregnant?
Many Muslims do not understand what this term, according to Christian theology, actually means. They have asked me these or similar questions. This paper focuses on what the term "Son of God" signifies in Christian theology with respect to Muslim understanding.
MUSLIMS AND THE SON OF GOD
Muhammad, the founder of Islam, misunderstood what the term "Son of God" meant with respect to Christianity. He thought of it only interms of sexual reproduction, i.e. that God fathered a child through sexual intercourse with Mary. Therefore he spoke out against it.
Christians also reject that God had physical intercourse with Mary, but we understand Christ being God's Son as ananalogical term. We believe that theeternal Son of God, one with the Father from all eternity, united to Him in one Spirit, "became flesh and dwelt among us"
(John 3:16-18) 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
and the disciples also identified Him as the Son of God in their writings,
(Rom 1:3) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
Further, Jesus identified Himself as God revealed in the flesh,
(John 8:58) Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
and His disciples identified Him as God,
(John 1:1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(Phil 2:5-11) 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
What does this term -"Son of God" mean?
And if Jesus is the Son, in what way is Jesus God's Son?
Did God have physical relations with Mary and get her pregnant?
Many Muslims do not understand what this term, according to Christian theology, actually means. They have asked me these or similar questions. This paper focuses on what the term "Son of God" signifies in Christian theology with respect to Muslim understanding.
MUSLIMS AND THE SON OF GOD
Muhammad, the founder of Islam, misunderstood what the term "Son of God" meant with respect to Christianity. He thought of it only interms of sexual reproduction, i.e. that God fathered a child through sexual intercourse with Mary. Therefore he spoke out against it.
Christians also reject that God had physical intercourse with Mary, but we understand Christ being God's Son as ananalogical term. We believe that theeternal Son of God, one with the Father from all eternity, united to Him in one Spirit, "became flesh and dwelt among us"
(John 1:14) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.and took "the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men"
(Philippians 2:7) But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
We believe in the incarnation of the Son of God.
Muhammad did hear the Christians proclaim Jesus the Messiah as God's Son, but understanding or not, he specifically denied that Jesus was the Son of God. He said in the Quran,Sura2:116 - "Theysay: "God has begotten ason". Glory be to Him. No, to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: everything rendersworship to Him."and, Sura9:30 - "The Christians say the Messiah is the Son of God, that is a saying from their mouths."Muhammad was unable to distinguishbetween the Christian belief in Jesus as the Son of God and the Arab Pagan belief in idols as offspring of God, i.e., Al-Lat, Al-Uzza, and Manat, (thesewere idols worshipped around Mecca as daughters of the supreme God - orAllah). Muhammad misunderstood that Christians in no way consider Jesus - the Son of God, in the same way the Arab Pagans understood their idols.
Muhammad's misconception of the Sonship of Christ is another proof that the Quran was not revealed to him by God, but rather it was built upon Muhammad's own concepts and ideology.
Because of Muhammad's misunderstanding, Islam places limits on God's power. Inview of this, a Christian writer commented that "to assert that God has no Son because He has no wife is like saying that God is not living because He does not draw breath. "Daniel," Islam and the West, p.182.
WHAT THE TERM "SON OF GOD" SIGNIFIES
The expression "Son of God", is an analogical term. It indicates origin, a close association, or identification. In Christian theology it describes the relationship of two persons of the triune God. It expresses an intimate relationship between two persons: God the Father, and God the Son - Jesus theMessiah.
Here are several scriptures illustrating this facet of their relationship:
(John 17:5) And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
Here Jesus stated that He was with the Father before the world began.
(Colossians1:13-20) 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; 20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.Here, we see the term "Son of God", brought to light: "the image of the invisible God".
(Hebrews1:1) God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,"In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and invarious ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son whom Heappointed heir of all things and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerfulword. After he had providedpurification for sins he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven."
Again, we see the relationship between the Father and the Son disclosed, "the exact representation of His being".
(John1:1-3) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
(John1:10) He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
(John1:14) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth
(John1:18) No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
(John14:8) Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
(John14:10) Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
Jesus plainly told Phillip, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father".
From these verses we see that in Christ, the invisible God is revealed. Jesus was with the Father before the world began. Christ, as God the Son, is the Creator ofall things. God in all His fullness,dwelt in Christ, reconciling the world. We see that Christ, as the Son of God - God's representation, is Godmanifest and revealed to the world. Angels, prophets, and things can reveal to us something about God. But God alone can reveal God. It takes God to reveal Himself tomankind. What better way for theeternal revealer to be revealed to mankind on earth than by clothing His self-expresionin human form?
JESUS AS THE WORD OF GOD
Muslims believe that the Quran - their Word of God - is eternal. The Quran also calls Jesus the Word of God. Since Muslims believe that the Quran is eternal, yet is able to enter into the limitations of time and space, and become available in book form, could not Jesus as the Word of God, be made manifest in human form? If on earth, Muslims believe that the uncreated Word of God - i.e., the Quran - is found as a book making it both uncreated and created, then cannot the uncreated Word of God be revealed as a human, if God willed it? That God has willed this is revealed in the testimony of the Gospels - God's eternal self-expression, His Word, His Son, has entered human form as Jesus the Messiah.
God the Father and God the Son are both God, but they are different persons. They are equal in essence, indeed of one essence, yet one is subject to the other's authority. The human analogy goes no further than this - an earthly father and his son are both human to the full, yet the second must bow to the authority of the first. Jesus is subject to the Father's authority. When He came to earth Hecame as the Father's ambassador to redeem men from sin and, being found in human form, took His subjection to the Father's authority to the point of a son to a father's relationship.
As the Son of God, Christ, the second person of the Trinity, possesses the same essence as the Father, yet is subject to the Father as an earthly son is subject to his father. Jesus is not the Son of God because of His mighty works and miracles, but He did those works because He is the Son of God.
The prime duty of a son is to honorand obey his father, to serve him freely and fully. The ideas of being a servant and a son are found throughout the Bible. Jesus as God the Son, served God the Father not out of compulsion but because of His unity with the Father, served out of love.
MUSLIM ARGUMENTS AGAINST JESUS BEING THE SON OF GOD
Muslims frequently ask that if Jesus were really God's Son, or God in the flesh, why didn't Jesus know the date of the hour of judgment? Ref.
(Matthew24:36) But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.Or if Jesus were God in the flesh,why did He say, "The Son can do nothing of his own accord but only what the sees the Father doing,.....The Father is greater than I,.... I can do nothing on my own authority."
(John 5:19) Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
(John 14:28) Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come [again] unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.
(John 5:30) I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
Muslims will ask rhetorical questions such as, "Wouldn't God know the last hour of Judgment?" Or, "If Jesus were God, why did He say, "the Father is greater than I"?"
The answer lies in what Christ's Son ship on earth entails. The passage that best addresses it is
(Philippians 2:5-8) 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.Here Christ emptied Himself. The Sonship of Christ is revealed in this: He was revealed as God in the flesh, and yet submitted to God the Father. He was limited as a man, and He glorified God the Father. The analogical term "Son" best describes Christ's relationship with God the Father.
Christ's exalted relationship i seven seen in the very verse Muslims choose to attack His Sonship... In
(Mark 13:32) But of that day and [that] hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.Here, Jesus places Himself above men, and above the angels. Jesus describes Himself alone in a category in relation to God.
Likewise, Christ when saying that He does nothing of His own accord, states that "whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise." Christ establishes His Sonship and puts Himself in perfect harmony with God. Even Muhammad is declared in the Quran as a sinner in Sura 48:2, but Christ walked in perfect harmony with the Father.
As Muhammad failed to understand what "Son of God" signified, so today, many Muslims continue to misunderstand. The term "Son of God" does not mean that God had intercourse with Mary, or created sons for Himself, but that Jesus, as God, is the image of God, made manifest to men. As Muslims believe that the Quran is eternal, uncreated, and is the Word of God found in physical book form, they should be able to understand that Jesus is eternal, uncreated, and is the Living Word of God in physical living form.
CONCLUSION
Jesus manifested his eternal abiding glory to John - as opposed to the veiled form of a humble servant he had while he walked this earth - while John was imprisoned on the isle of Patmos, revealing himself as what he truly was and will forever be, God Almighty -
(Revelation 1:8) "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."
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(Revelation 22:13) "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.."
(Revelation 22:16) I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
Jesus is the Son of God. This means that He is God, revealed to man.
The term "Son of God" is an analogy, describing the relationship between two persons of God. Christ is the image of God to mankind. God - omnipotent, revealed Himself to mankind, in Christ.
Jesus is Lord. Amen, come Lord Jesus.
NOTE:
Many of the themes in this article were taken from John Gilchrist's
"The Christian Witness to the Muslim". By: Silas
by: What should Christians know about Quran
Please!! Do not read JUST the Verses in The Holy Bible. I would really RECOMMEND that YOU READ the Whole Chapter in The Holy Bible to understand the whole content of the verses that were given to you.
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May God richly bless you! Amen! Hallelujah
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