Question:
A lot of Christians say that Jesus is God. Can you articulate any evidence using the Bible to refute this claim?
Answer:
Thank you very much, brother. The question posed is that many Christians claim Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) is God, and I am asked to refute this claim from the Bible.
Before I give the answer, I would like to clarify some points. Islam is the only non-Christian faith that makes believing in Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) an article of faith. No Muslim can be a Muslim if he does not believe in Jesus Christ (peace be upon him). Muslims believe that:
– He was one of the mightiest messengers of Allah.
– He was born miraculously, without any male intervention, something many modern-day Christians today do not believe.
– He was the Messiah (translated as Christ).
– He gave life to the dead by God’s permission.
– He healed those born blind and lepers, by God’s permission.
So, Muslims and Christians indeed have common beliefs, but there is a clear point where we differ. Most Christians claim that Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) claimed to be divine. However, if we carefully study the Bible, we find that:
– There is not a single unequivocal statement in the complete Bible, in any version, in which Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) himself explicitly says, “I am God,” or says, “Worship me.”
– If any Christian can point out a single unequivocal statement from any version of the Bible, spoken by Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) himself, clearly stating “I am God” or “worship me,” then I am prepared to accept Christianity today.
When we read the Bible, we find clear and explicit statements that clearly refute the claim that Jesus declared himself God:
1. Gospel of John Chapter 14, Verse 28:
“My Father is greater than I.”
2. Gospel of John Chapter 10, Verse 29:
“My Father is greater than all.”
3. Gospel of Matthew Chapter 12, Verse 28:
“I with the Spirit of God cast out devils.”
4. Gospel of Luke Chapter 11, Verse 20:
“I with the finger of God cast out devils.”
5. Gospel of John Chapter 5, Verse 30:
“I can of my own self do nothing. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, for I seek not my will but the will of my Father.”
Anyone who states, “I seek not my will, but the will of Almighty God” is by definition a Muslim. Hence, according to this definition, Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) was a Muslim.
Furthermore, Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) explicitly denies any claim of divinity again in:
– Gospel of John Chapter 14, Verse 24:
“The words that you hear are not mine, but my Father’s who has sent me.”
Finally, speaking of Jesus’s clear humanity and relation to God Almighty, the Bible states in the Book of Acts, Chapter 2, Verse 22:
“O men of Israel, listen to this; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by wonders and miracles and signs, which God did by him and you are witnesses to it.”
Therefore, by examining these Biblical verses, it becomes clear that Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) never claimed divinity, never stated explicitly that he was God, nor did he claim to be the begotten son of God. Instead, he was undoubtedly one of the greatest messengers of Allah.