Common Questions & Answers

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Can we trust what the New Testament says about Jesus?

 

Yes, we can trust what the New Testament says about Jesus because in the New Testament we have three things.

 

First, ​we have early witnesses of Jesus (first century).

 

Second, we have eyewitnesses of Jesus (the disciples).

 

Third, we have multiple witnesses of Jesus (different books).

 

None of this is true when we consider what the Quran says about Jesus.

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Is Jesus God or is Jesus the Son of God?

 

Jesus is both.

 

‘God’ describes what Jesus is (Jesus is divine) and ‘Son of God’ describes who Jesus is (Jesus is the Son of the Father).

 

The same is true with humans. Every male human (apart from Adam and Jesus) is both human and the son of a human. The terms are not mutually exclusive but complementary.

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What is the Trinity?

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​The word 'Trinity' means 'Tri-Unity' or 'the unity of three', and it is the belief that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (although distinct and separate persons) exist as the one God.

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This means that the Father is God, in union with the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Son is God, in union with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God, in union with the Father and the Son.

 

One God (whom we know as Jehovah or Yahweh) and Three Persons (whom we know as Father, Son and Holy Spirit).

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This belief is found in the Bible and expressed in the creeds.​

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Was Jesus a Christian?

 

Yes, Jesus was a Christian in the sense that Jesus believed what Christians believe. The following are four examples.

 

First, Jesus believed in the Trinity (that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit).

 

Second, Jesus believed in His own divinity (that He is the God-Man, fully God and fully man).

 

Third, Jesus believed that His death will be the atoning sacrifice for sin (that He is the universal Saviour of humanity and the only way to the Father).

 

Fourth, Jesus believed in the authority and reliability of the Bible (that the Bible is God’s inspired and inerrant Word).

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What will the Messiah be?

 

The Messiah, when He comes, will be four things according to the Old Testament.

 

First, the Messiah will be a Prophet (he will receive revelation from God).

 

Second, the Messiah will be a Priest (he will offer sacrifices to God).

 

Third, the Messiah will be a King (he will rule on behalf of God).​

 

Fourth, the Messiah will be God (he will be the incarnation of God or God in human form).

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Jesus fulfilled each of these Messianic expectations.

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Did Jesus claim to be God?

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Yes, Jesus claimed to be God in the New Testament.

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First, the divinity of Jesus is established in the New Testament by Jesus claiming divine attributes and divine authority.

 

Second, the New Testament authors apply to Jesus the exclusive titles and descriptions of God from the Old Testament.

 

It should be noted that although Jesus is God, Jesus is not the Father and Jesus is not the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Second Person of the Triune God: Father, Son (Jesus) and Holy Spirit.

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How can God die?

 

God can die because God has two natures.

 

Jesus has a divine nature that is uncreated and eternal (Jesus is God) and Jesus has a human nature that was created and had a beginning (Jesus became human).

 

Jesus was born, lived, died and rose again according to his human nature.

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​Why did God become human?

 

First, God becoming human was foreshadowed in the Old Testament and became a reality in the New Testament.

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Second, God became human to carry our sins and be our Saviour.

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How is God a Father?

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Fatherhood, when applied to God, can be understood in two ways.

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First, God is a Father because God gives and sustains all life.

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Second, God is a Father because God has sons and daughters.

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The emphasis of the Bible is that God is a Father because God has sons and daughters.

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Why do Christians reject the Prophethood of Muhammad?

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Christians reject the prophethood of Muhammad for two reasons.

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First, Muhammad came after Jesus and contradicted Jesus as well as the Old Testament prophets.

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Second, Muhammad lived a sinful life and taught his followers to do likewise.

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