Jesus, the Son of God
For Monday 24 August, Ramadan 2009. “Loving Muslims Through Prayer”
Muslims almost always object to using the title “Son of God” concerning Jesus. The main reason is that many Muslims believe the phrase “Son of God” implies that God the Father had sexual relations with Mary and that Jesus (the Son) was born of this union. Some understand the Christian Trinity as consisting of the Father, Mary and Jesus. Christians actually do not believe this and like Muslims we find the idea repulsive and blasphemous. Unfortunately this is often the Muslim understanding of the phrase “Son of God.”
In Christianity, the title, “Son of God” indicates the majesty, honour and glory of Jesus (2 Peter 1:16-18). The title is tied not only to His divinity but also to His kingship. Nathan’s prophecy in 2 Samuel 7:12-14, one of the early prophecies of the Messianic King, speaks of David’s descendant as God’s Son. “When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me.” It is certain that the early believers understood Jesus’ role as “Son of God” as being related to kingship: “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel” (John 1:49, 11:27, 20:31 and Romans 1:1-5). The messianic king’s appointment was described as begetting a son (Psalm 2:7, Acts 13:33, Hebrews 1:5). You can find a longer article on this subject on our site here [Part 1] and here, [Part 2]. We also explore Jesus’ divinity further in the article “Jesus, the Messiah and the Word of God” later.
Prayer Starters:
- May God bring real breakthroughs in this area of Muslim misunderstanding. This subject is one of the most significant hindrances for Muslims coming to Christ. Believers need wisdom in addressing this issue.
- Pray for Muslims to have a biblical understanding of the phrase “Son of God.” Meditate on and proclaim in prayer the texts cited above.
Special Section: Prayer for the Peoples of Sudan — The Guhayna people
The 1.3 million Guhayna are a largely nomadic people living in Central Sudan. Not much is known about this people group other than that they are Sudanese Arabs who trace their heritage to the Bedouin who wandered the deserts of Saudi Arabia centuries ago.
The Guhayna embrace rigid codes of honour, loyalty and hospitality, the strong role of men in society, the value of children, subservience of women and the five pillars of Islam. To confess Jesus as Lord is not well accepted and has serious consequences. Pray that fear of persecution from Islamic relatives will not hinder the Guhayna as they consider the Gospel. No one is actively reaching this people group.
Pray for missionaries and funds so the Guhayna can hear about Jesus.
Background information on Sudan is here … >> Dafur
4)
Mark 8:34-38
34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “IF ANYONE WOULD COME AFTER ME, LET HIM DENY HIMSELF AND TAKE UP HIS CROSS AND FOLLOW ME.
35 For whoever would save his life [1] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.
36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?
37 For what can a man give in return for his soul?
38 For WHOEVER IS ASHAMED OF ME and OF MY WORDS in this ADULTEROUS AND SINFUL GENERATION, of him will the Son of Man ALSO BE ASHAMED when he comes IN THE GLORY OF HIS FATHER with the holy angels.”
Mark 15:31-32
31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the CHRIST, THE KING OF ISRAEL, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.
Mark 9:2-13
THE TRANSFIGURATION
2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them,
3 AND HIS CLOTHES BECAME RADIANT, INTENSLY WHITE, AS ON ONE ON EARTH COULD BLEACH THEM.
4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.
5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified.
7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “THIS IS MY BELOVED SON; LISTEN TO HIM.”
8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.
5)
Mark 15:33-39
JESUS EVEN WHILE AT THE CROSS INDEED REVEALED HIMSELF THOUGH TRULY MAN YET TRULY GOD
33 And when the sixth hour [1] had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.”
36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.”
37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.
38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “TRULY THIS MAN WAS THE SON OF GOD.!”
6)
We see from birth to the end Jesus is the Messiah, Prophet, King, Priest, etc. though man yet divine.
No other scriptures gives the revelations of the MESSIAH to come and explanation for the Messiah.
Here is where the twist of the story comes in, coz great scholars in history like Zamakhshari & Baidawi admitted that al-Masihu WAS NOT an original Arabic word.
While it is confirmed that there is absolute uncertainty how this title is to be viewed by them and uncertainty in the exact meaning of the word that has come into other scriptures leaves a true fact unanswered.
Why, then, others acknowledge that Jesus was the Messiah, yet give no delineation of what the word Messiah means?
It is a true fact that they do not have any origin or hold any view from all the true inspired scriptures right from the time of Adam until the coming into this world of the PROMISED MESSIAH OF GOD.
On the other hand, it is a true fact that the people from the time of Adam and until the Messiah was revealed to Mankind, THESE PEOPLE WERE IN ANTICIPATION OF THE MESSIAH WOULD BE ‘THEIR SAVIOUR’ IN THE MANIFESTATION OF PROPHETHOOD, PRIESTHOOD AND KINGSHIP, AS DETAILED IN THE HOLY WORDS OF THE TRUE AND LIVING GOD.
(THUS THE MESSIAH WAS RECOGNIZED ONLY BY THE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS WHO PROLAIMED HIM ‘’THE CHRIST’’ ‘’THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD.’ )
Why give him a unique title and not explain it’s significance?
Men of this world perceive and explain ACCORDING TO THE EYES & MIND OF THIS WORLD, because they are human and thus are called human beings.
Men of God perceive WITH THE EYES OF GOD & THE SPIRIT OF GOD, for God is Spirit and thus Mankind is called to become spiritual beings in the image and likeness of God.
Submit:
Good post! Jesus is truly the Savior of the world, but only for those those who believe! He is the center, the essence of life, what gives meaning and live to everything else. It is with a personal (spiritual) relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, or Jesus the Messiah, that we come into union with the one who is the very heart of the matter. It is only through a personal relationship with God at the very core of our soul and spirit that we are transformed into His image. Laws, creeds, regulations, codes, commands, etc., are all external and can be ignored, but you cannot ignore God once you have come into a personal relationship with Him through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. May we let the Lord Jesus Christ continue to lead us by the Holy Spirit, draw us closer to the heart of God, and transform us into His likeness! Peace, love, mercy and grace be yours in abundance.
7)
As the centuries passed, we see the mention of Holy Spirit come upon believers in Old Testament times and were guided to proclaim the coming of the Messiah:
-Priests, to offer sacrifices and to teach the Law.
-Prophets, to work miracles and prophesy.
-Judges/Kings, to judge and rule the people.
Genesis 1:2
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters
Numbers 11:16,17
And I will take of the spirit which is upon you, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the poeple with you, that yo bear it not yourself alone.
Num. 11:25
“And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unot the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease
Joel 2:28
And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions
Luke 1:34,35
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee..
Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth
Acts 2:1-4
1When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place
2And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and( t filled the entire house where they were sitting
3And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested[a] on each one of them
4And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
So whom did Jesus promise to send to the Apostles WHEN THEY WERE STILL ALIVE?
And the Spirit of God SPEAKS THE TRUTH, coz
JESUS IS THE WAY THE TRUTH & LIFE
God is spirit and
Our WORSHIP (prostration of oneself) NIGHT & DAY,
MORNING to EVENING,
THROUGHTOUT OUR LIFETIME and
UNTIL DEATH DO US PART
MUST be IN SPIRIT and IN TRUTH
ONLY to THE ONE TRUE LIVING GOD
who LIVED AMONGST US and REVEALED THE MESSIAHSHIP to mankind
and POURED OUT THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD.
ONLY JESUS IS PERFECT PURE & SINLESS. MANKIND IS CALLED TO FOLLOW JESUS – THE WORD OF GOD AND SPIRIT OF GOD —-NO OTHER —– AND TO BECOME PURE SUBMITTERS TO THE WILL OF GOD JUST LIKE JESUS AND NO OTHER.
Inorder to walk in RIGHTEOUSNESS like the Messiah
HOW ELSE CAN MANKIND REACH RIGHTEOUSNESS? – IF GOD IS NOT WITH US AND IF HIS OWN SPIRIT IS NOT UPON US AND ANNOINT US TO DO HIS WILL?
BE PERFECT AS MY HEAVENLY FATHER IS PERFECT COZ THOSE WHO KNOW JESUS KNOW GOD, coz JESUS IS THE RESURRECTION & LIFE, coz JESUS IS THE GATE, coz JESUS AND THE FATHER ARE ONE. OTHER THAN JESUS WHO WAS PERFECT AND PURE AND SINLESS AS CONFIRMED BY THE ANGEL OF GOD & BY GOD HIMSELF?
We need His Holy Spirit and THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH & LOVE.
ULTIMATELY LOVE that was poured into the hearts and LOVE that is poured into the hearts of THOSE WHO AKS and IT SHALL BE RECEIVED.
Who should we believe, “dago”, “Diago”, “vj” or the Vatican and the Pope:
………………………….
Under the title Emancipating ourselves from our worst prejudices (Nous libérer de nos préjugés les plus notables) the authors address the following suggestions to Christians:
“Here also, we must surrender to a deep purification of our attitude. In particular, what is meant by this are certain ’set judgements’ that are all too often and too lightly made about Islam. It is essential not to cultivate in the secret of our hearts views such as these, too easily or arbitrarily arrived at, and which the sincere Muslim finds confusing.”
One extremely important view of this kind is the attitude which leads people to repeatedly use the term Allah’ to mean the God of the Muslims, as if the Muslims believed in a God who was different from the God of the Christians. Al lâh means ‘the Divinity’ in Arabic: it is a single God, implying that a correct transcription can only render the exact meaning of the word with the help of the expression ‘God’. For the Muslim, al lâh is none other than the God of Moses and Jesus.
The document produced by the Office for Non-Christian Affairs at the Vatican stresses this fundamental point in the following terms:
“It would seem pointless to maintain that Allâh is not really God, as do certain people in the West! The conciliar documents have put the above assertion in its proper place. There is no better way of illustrating Islamic faith in God than by quoting the following extracts from Lumen Gentium [ Lumen Gentium is the title of a document produced by the Second Vatican Council (1962-1966)].
‘The Muslims profess the faith of Abraham and worship with us the sole merciful God, who is the future judge of men on the Day of Reckoning . . .’”
continued..
……………
One can therefore understand the Muslims’ protest at the all too frequent custom in European languages of saying ‘Allâh’ instead of ‘God’ . . . Cultivated Muslims have praised D. Masson’s French transition of the Qur’an for having ‘at last’ written ‘Dieu’ [ God.] instead of ‘Allah’.
The Vatican document points out the following: “Allâh is the only word that Arabic-speaking Christians have for God.” Muslims and Christians worship a single God.
The Vatican document then undertakes a critical examination of the other false judgements made on Islam.
I am certain that this defense of Islam by the Vatican will surprise many believers today, be they Muslims, Jews or Christians. It is a demonstration of sincerity and open-mindedness that is singularly in contrast with the attitudes inherited from the past. The number of people in the West who are aware of the new attitudes adopted by the highest authorities in the Catholic Church is however very small.
Once one is aware of this fact, it comes as less of a surprise to learn of the actions that sealed this reconciliation: firstly, there was the official visit made by the President of the Office for Non-Christian Affairs at the Vatican to King Faisal of Saudi Arabia; then the official reception given by Pope Paul VI to the Grand Ulema of Saudi Arabia in the course of 1974. Henceforth, one understands more clearly the spiritual significance of the fact that His Grace Bishop Elchinger received the Grand Ulema at his cathedral in Strasbourg and invited them during their visit to pray in the choir. This they did before the altar, TURNED TOWARDS MEKKA.
http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Books/MB_BQS/14quran.htm
AW,
I haven’t had the time to follow everything, but I want to address the following quote: ‘The Muslims profess the faith of Abraham and worship with us the sole merciful God, who is the future judge of men on the Day of Reckoning . . .’” This is no different to me as when Jehovah Witnesses, Mormans, or even Muslims for that matter, say “I believe in Jesus.” They may use the same English word “Jesus” but they don’t have the same definition for the word. Muslims, Jews and Christians all “profess” to believe in the same God, but if our definition of God is different from the self revelation of God found in the 66 books of the Holy Bible, our ‘god’ is not the God of Abraham.
God has made himself known to us through his relationship with Abraham, Moses, the prophets and finally through Jesus, and God does not change. How is it that the Muslim Allah is an impersonal and unknowable god while the God of the Jews and Christians is a personal and knowable God? Could it be we are not talking about the same deity?
aw you seem to be very sensitive about actions of OTHER people, but you do not see the actions of muslims.
there are muslims who have prayed by turning to mekka specially the teenagers who have become targets of terrorism they prayed and then next action went out with bombs and weapons to commit destruction of properpy and lives. Now how do you justify that ALLAH WHO IS GOD FOR YOU ACCEPT THE ACTIONS OF SUCH PEOPLE?? Even today as i speak muslims are plotting to kill muslims even in pakistan,afghanistan,yemen,somalia,etc.
PLESE REMEMBER THAT THEY TAKE THE NAME OF YOUR GOD ALLAH AND COMMIT THESE ACTS, AND THESE ARE JUSTIFIED BY THE MUSLIM MULLAHS AND THE WHOLE MUSLIM COMMUNITIES.
I also gave you the example of how the word allah has been creating a problem in malaysia, but you definitely have no reply to that because you justified vatican’s statetments, BUT HOW WILL YOU JUSTIFY MUSLIMS ACTIONS.
SO ALLAH FOR MUSLIMS IS GOD BY NAME ONLY(false god) AND NOT THE TRUE GOD OF ABRAHAM, and to further prove to you allah has told muslims not to make friends with christians and jews.
But see how your justification is.
Also according to quran jesus did not die, but history confirms the death, writers confirm the death and even names of witness are provided to confirm that it is true. MARY TOOK THE BODY OF JESUS IN HER OWN ARMS. Now if the body was someone else then ALLAH (WHOM YOU BELIEVE IS GOD FOOLED MARY THE MOTHER OF JESUS).
You are justifying a false claim -
not one claim but 100’s of claims of bible to be false. Sorry dear. The bible says that these false claims are from a dreamer and he suceeded in keeping his name next to allah’s name and thus you proclaim him and treat him above ALLAH
THIS GOES TO PROVE THAT THE QURAN IS CERTAINLY NOT TURE BECAUSE GOD WILL NEVER GIVE YOU A TRUTH WITHOUT PROOF OR JUSTIFICATIION. THEREFORE YOUR CLAIM IS FALSE.
BIBLE IS THE TRUE WORD OF THE LIVING GOD AND QURAN IS NOT AND NEITHER ITS WRITERS, ETC
AW
Remember that every language call god by his or her language if he is worshiping God of Abraham, so in english we say god, in french deiu, in indian bhagwan, etc. etc. so if god is god in english and if allah is god in arabic, then Why should god force people to call him only by one word allah? This is not the doing of god, but of man.
If god of abraham is universal then god can be called god by the worshiper’s own language, because god knows the language of his own creation, god even know the language of the animal kingdom as well.
so if muslims insist that god MUST BE CALLED BY THE NAME OF ALLAH, (today if we are witnessing BRUTALITY BECAUSE OF THE GOD OF MUSLIMS WHO IS CALLED ALLAH, then the muslim god is certainly not a universal god and moreover muslim god only know one language and that is arabic, because you force people to read the quran in arabic.
The god of abraham knows my language and he speaks with me in my language, otherwise he is not a god and moreover he then would not be a universal god.
DEUTERONOMY 18:20
But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death.”
MUSLIMS INSIST THAT THEIR PROPHET TOLD THAT MANKIND MUST UTTER ONLY IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, AND TODAY WE HAVE ALREADY SEEN THE LIKES OF MUSLIMS IN MALAYSIA WHERE ANYONE WHO WILL USE ALLAH MUSLIMS ARE PUTTING MANKIND TO BURTALITY / DEATH.
GOD HAS ALREADY DONE HIS PART BY PUTTING THIS PROPHET TO DEATH AND THIS PROPHET WANT MANKIND TO FOLLOW HIM – THE DEVIL IS ON THE LOOSE.