Jesus & The Islamic Challenge | Cross & Crescent Ministries

Jesus & The Islamic Challenge

Question: Did Jesus claim to be God in the New Testament?

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Overview

Muslims often criticise the Christian belief that Jesus is God by claiming that Christians cannot provide a clear or explicit statement from the New Testament where Jesus says ‘I Am God, Worship Me’ or something similar. Christians therefore follow conjecture about Jesus rather than the words that Jesus said.

Several responses can be made to this assertion.

A Double Standard

The standard that Muslims use to criticise the Christian belief that Jesus is God can also be used to criticise the Quranic belief that Jesus is the Messiah (Quran 4:171). For instance, the Quran states that Jesus is the Messiah but does not provide a statement or example of Jesus saying this about himself. In other words, the Messiahship of Jesus is a claim made in the Quran about Jesus and not by Jesus. This means that Muslims must deny that Jesus is the Messiah if the (Islamic) standard is applied and only the words of Jesus are used to determine who Jesus is. Consistency also determines that Muslims should deny everything that the Quran says about Jesus if Jesus never said it himself. It is worth highlighting that an argument expresses a double standard when it works against the person presenting it.

If Muslims insist that a statement about Jesus in the Quran can be true despite Jesus not uttering the statement himself (like Jesus being the Messiah) then this standard should likewise be applied to the New Testament and any claims made about Jesus by the New Testament authors. Consistency works both ways.

Jesus & The New Testament

The divinity of Jesus is established in the New Testament by Jesus claiming divine attributes and divine authority. In addition to this, the New Testament authors apply to Jesus the exclusive titles and descriptions of God (Jehovah) 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 God: Father, Son (Jesus) and Holy Spirit.

The following is an example of Jesus claiming to be God in the New Testament that uses both the Old Testament and the Quran.

The Quran (57:1-3) states that Allah is the First and Last, and Islamic scholarship has categorised ‘The First’ (Al-Awwal) and ‘The Last’ (Al-Aakhir) as two of the ninety-nine names that belong exclusively to Allah. The First and Last is a phrase or title that expresses timelessness and eternality, meaning that God is uncreated and therefore without beginning or end. Significantly, the God of Israel is identified as the First and Last in the Old Testament (Isaiah 41:4, 44:6 & 48:12-13) and Jesus is identified as the First and Last in the New Testament (Revelation 1:17-18, 2:8 & 22:12-13). This means that Jesus undoubtedly claimed to be God in the New Testament if Islamic scholarship is correct about the exclusivity of the title First and Last when applied to Allah (only God can be the First and Last). It is also important to note that the Jewish and Christian Scriptures predate the Quran, which shows that the First and Last was applied to the God of Israel in the Old Testament and to Jesus in the New Testament before it was applied to Allah in the Quran.

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Bible Passages

Isaiah 41:4

(4) Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD - with the first of them and with the last - I am He.

Isaiah 44:6

(6) This is what the LORD says - Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the First and I am the Last; apart from me there is no God.

Isaiah 48:12-13

(12) Listen to me, Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I am He; I am the First and I am the Last. (13) My own hand laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they all stand up together.

Revelation 1:17-18

(17) When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. (18) I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Revelation 2:8

(8) To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: "These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.

Revelation 22:12-13

(12) Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. (13) I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

Quran Passages

The Quran 4:171 (Sahih International)

(171) O People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your religion or say about Allah except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allah and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created at a command] from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers. And do not say, "Three"; desist - it is better for you. Indeed, Allah is but one God. Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And sufficient is Allah as Disposer of affairs.

The Quran 4:171 (Abdul Haleem)

(171) People of the Book, do not go to excess in your religion, and do not say anything about God except the truth: the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was nothing more than a messenger of God, His word, directed to Mary, a spirit from Him. So believe in God and His messengers and do not speak of a ‘Trinity’ - stop [this], that is better for you - God is only one God, He is far above having a son, everything in the heavens and earth belongs to Him and He is the best one to trust.

The Quran 57:1-3 (Sahih International)

(1) Whatever is in the heavens and earth exalts Allah, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.

(2) His is the dominion of the heavens and earth. He gives life and causes death, and He is over all things competent.

(3) He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant and the Intimate, and He is, of all things, Knowing.

The Quran 57:1-3 (Abdul Haleem)

(1) Everything in the heavens and earth glorifies God - He is the Almighty, the Wise. (2) Control of the heavens and earth belongs to Him; He gives life and death; He has power over all things. (3) He is the First and the Last; the Outer and the Inner; He has knowledge of all things.