Jesus & The Islamic Challenge
Overview
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Muslims often criticise the Christian belief that Jesus is the Almighty God because Christians cannot provide an explicit or unequivocal statement from the New Testament where Jesus claims this for himself. “Surely”, Muslims assert, “if Jesus were indeed the Almighty God, Jesus would have uttered the phrase ‘I Am God, Worship Me’ or something similar.”
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The following two responses can be made to this criticism.
First Response: A Double Standard
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Ironically, the standard that Muslims use to criticise the Christian belief that Jesus is the Almighty God can also be used to criticise the Quranic belief that Jesus is the Messiah. For instance, although Muslims believe that Jesus is the Messiah, Muslims cannot provide a statement from the Quran where Jesus says this about himself. In other words, Jesus’ Messiahship is a claim that the Quran makes about Jesus but it is not a claim that is ever made directly by Jesus. If the Muslim standard is applied and only the words of Jesus are used to determine who Jesus is, Muslims must deny the Quranic assertion that Jesus is the Messiah. In addition, consistency determines that Muslims should deny everything that the Quran says about Jesus if Jesus never said it himself. It is worth noting that an argument is flawed and operates on a double standard when it works against the person presenting it.
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Muslims may insist that a statement about Jesus in the Quran can be true despite Jesus not uttering the statement himself. If so, this standard should likewise be applied to the New Testament and any claims made about Jesus by the New Testament authors.
Second Response: The Divinity of Jesus (The First & Last)
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Jesus claimed to be the Almighty God on several occasions by applying to himself the exclusive titles and descriptions of God from the Old Testament. Familiarity with the Old Testament is therefore vital for understanding and recognising Jesus' self-identification as the Almighty God in the New Testament. Jesus' decision to communicate his identity by using the thought categories and religious texts of Judaism makes perfect sense, for Jesus came as the Jewish Messiah and to minister firstly among the Jewish people. Like Jesus, the New Testament authors also describe Jesus as the Almighty God by using the exclusive titles and descriptions of God from the Old Testament. The following is an example of Jesus communicating his identity as the Almighty God (in union with the Father and the Holy Spirit) by applying to himself a title or description of God from the Old Testament.​
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The Old Testament states that only God is the First and Last because only God exists eternally and is without beginning (Isaiah 44:6). This means that God existed before anything was created and it is through God’s creative work that all things came into existence and were given life (Isaiah 48:12-13). As the Almighty Creator and the source and sustainer of all existence, God is consequently present with every generation of creation from the first to the eventual last (Isaiah 41:4). Put more broadly, all things exist within the context of God’s eternal and uncreated existence and all things have their beginning and end in Him because He is the First and Last. It is also correct that because the God of Israel is the only God that exists, He is the First and Last God that humanity will ever have (Isaiah 43:10 & 45:5-6). Significantly, the Quran (57:1-3) says 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 New Testament states that Jesus is the First and Last. On three occasions in a revelation given to the Apostle John, Jesus identified himself as the First and Last (Revelation 1:17-18, 2:8 & 22:12-16, 22:20). This means that just as God is uncreated and eternal because God is the First and Last so too is Jesus uncreated and eternal since Jesus is the First and Last. In other words, Jesus is the Almighty and Everlasting God (in union with the Father and the Holy Spirit) who created all things and is present with every generation of creation from the beginning until the end or from the first until the last.
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​If the Quran and Islamic scholarship are correct and the First and Last are titles or names that belong exclusively to Allah then it's inescapable that Jesus claimed to be the Almighty God in the New Testament. It is important to note too that the Jewish and Christian Scriptures pre-date the Quran, which shows that the First and Last was a title applied to the God of Israel in the Old Testament and Jesus Christ in the New Testament before it was ever applied to Allah in the Quran.​
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​Bible & Quran Passages
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Isaiah 41:4
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(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.
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Isaiah 43:10
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(10) “You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.
Isaiah 44:6
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(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.
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Isaiah 45:5-6
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(5) I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, (6) so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no other.
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Isaiah 48:12-13
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(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.
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Revelation 1:17-18
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(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.
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Revelation 2:8
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(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.
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Revelation 22:12-16 & 22:20
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(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.
(14) “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. (15) Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
(16) “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”
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(20) He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
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The Quran 57:1-3 (Abdul Haleem)
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(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.
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