Why Christianity according to Jesus.pptx

Salvation:
Why Christianity?
Christianity Makes Sense

Focus on Dialogue
Why Christianity?
(Teaching of
Jesus)
Why not Islam?
(Analyzing
Evidence)
Who is our
Savior?

Introduction
• Both Christians and Muslims believed that God exists.
• Both Christians and Muslims believed that miracles are
possible.
• Both Christians and Muslims believed that God has
sent prophets.
• Both Christians and Muslims believed that it is God
who gives salvation.
• However, there are differences especially in the issue
of who Jesus is and how to be saved.

Did Jesus teach the essential
teachings of Christianity?

Christianity in a Nutshell
• God is a Trinity
• Jesus is God and Man
• Jesus was crucified
• Jesus rose from the dead
• Salvation is by Christ alone
Christianity teaches the essentials:
Question: Did Jesus teach these essentials?

God as Trinity
Therefore go and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you. And
surely I am with you always, to the very end
of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20)
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you
another advocate to help you and be with
you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world
cannot accept him, because it neither sees
him nor knows him. But you know him, for
he lives with you and will be[c] in you… But
the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the
Father will send in my name, will teach you
all things and will remind you of everything I
have said to you. (John 14:16-17, 27)

Jesus Claimed to be God
• “Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who
glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I
know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but
I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he
would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are
not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up
stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.” -
John 8:54–59

• “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe
that I am He, you will die in your sins.” - John 8:24
• “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father” - John 14:9
• “I and the Father are one” - John 10:30
• “Father glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the
world began” - John 17:5 (cf. “I am the Lord that is My name! I will not give
My glory to another” - Isaiah 42:8)
• “My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too, am working.” -
John 5:17

Jesus was Crucified and Rose from the Dead
(He prophesied it)
• From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must
go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and
chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be
raised. (Matthew 16:21)
• When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son
of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. 23 They
will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And
the disciples were filled with grief. (Matthew 17:22-23)

Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, “We are going up
to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They
will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On
the third day he will be raised to life!” (Matthew 20:17-19)
The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” Jesus
answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”They replied, “It has taken forty-six
years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his
body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the
scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken. Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many
people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them,
for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.
(John 2:18-25)

• “He said to them, 'This is what I told you while I was still with you:
Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of
Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.' Then he opened their minds so
they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, 'This is what is
written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third
day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached IN
HIS NAME to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses
of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised;
but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on
high.'” Luke 24:44-49

Salvation through Christ alone
• Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
• “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know
me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I
lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of
this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my
voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason
my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up
again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own
accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up
again. This command I received from my Father.” (John 10:14-18)

• "A certain ruler asked him, 'Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' 'Why do you call
me good?' Jesus answered. 'No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments:
‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false
testimony, honor your father and mother."' All these I have kept since I was a boy,' he said. When
Jesus heard this, he said to him, 'You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, FOLLOW ME.' When he heard this, he
became very sad, because he was very wealthy. Jesus looked at him and said, 'How hard it is for
the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.' Those who heard this asked,
'Who then can be saved?' Jesus replied, 'What is impossible with man is possible with God.' Peter
said to him, 'We have left all we had TO FOLLOW YOU!' 'Truly I tell you,' Jesus said to them, 'no
one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the
kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal
life.'” Luke 18:18-30

• "Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said:
'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up
their cross AND FOLLOW ME. For whoever wants to save their life
will lose it, but whoever loses their life FOR ME and for the gospel
will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet
forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their
soul? If anyone is ashamed of ME and MY WORDS in this adulterous
and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when
he comes in HIS Father’s glory with the holy angels.'” Mark 8:34-38 –
cf. 10:28-30

• “And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was
walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who
followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell
them what was to happen to him, saying, ‘See, we are going up to
Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief
priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver
him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock him and spit on him, and
flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise… For even the
Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a
ransom for many.’” Mark 10:32-34, 45

"I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges ME before others, the
Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. But
whoever disowns ME before others will be disowned before the
angels of God." Luke 12:8-9
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” Luke
19:10

• “On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there,
who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the
Lord was with him to heal. And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was
paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to
bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed
through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said, ‘Man, your sins
are forgiven you.’And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, ‘Who is this who
speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ When Jesus perceived their thoughts,
he answered them, ‘Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, “Your sins are
forgiven you,” or to say, “Rise and walk”? But that you may know that the Son of Man has
authority on earth to forgive sins’—he said to the man who was paralyzed—‘I say to you, rise,
pick up your bed and go home.’And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he
had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. And amazement seized them all, and they
glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, ‘We have seen extraordinary things today.’” Luke
5:17-26

• “And he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’Then those who were at table
with him began to say among themselves, ‘Who is this, who even forgives
sins?’And he said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’”
Luke 7:48-50
• “And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over
all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the
kingdom of God and to heal… John answered, “Master, we saw
someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him,
because he does not follow with us.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Do not stop
him, for the one who is not against you is for you.’” Luke 9:1-2, 49-50

• “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead
of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about
to go… ‘Heal the sick in it and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come
near to you.”… The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects
you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.’ The
seventy-two returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to
us IN YOUR NAME!’And he said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning
from heaven. Behold, I HAVE GIVEN YOU authority to tread on serpents
and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt
you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’” Luke 10:1, 9, 16-20

• “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger,
and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen
me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and
whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven,
not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him
who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up
on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the
Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last
day.’ So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, ‘I am the bread that came
down from heaven.’ They said, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father
and mother we know? How does he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’”
John 6:35-42

• “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one
knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except
the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to
me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take
my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and
my burden is light.” Matthew 11:27-30

In Islam…
1. In Islam, the forgiveness of sins is by works and the arbitrary will of Allah
1. Surah 66:8-9, “O ye who believe! Turn unto Allah in sincere repentance! It may be that your
Lord will remit from you your evil deeds and bring you into Gardens underneath which rivers
flow, on the day when Allah will not abase the Prophet and those who believe with him. Their
light will run before them and on their right hands; they will say: Our Lord! Perfect our light for
us, and forgive us! Lo! Thou art Able to do all things.”
2. Surah 23:101-103, “Then when the Trumpet is blown, there will be no more relationships
between them that Day, nor will one ask after another! 102 Then those whose balance (of
good deeds) is heavy, they will attain salvation: 103 But those whose balance is light, will be
those who have lost their souls, in Hell will they abide.”
3. Surah 5:9, “To those who believe and do deeds of righteousness hath Allah promised
forgiveness and a great reward.”

1. But, this means salvation is based on what they do? Works, doing good, not doing bad, and
hopefully, inshallah, they might be forgiven. Where is the hope in that?
1. Are they doing enough good? Will any Muslim say he is?
2. When salvation depends in part on our own goodness then that is arrogance.
3. In Islam forgiveness is only guaranteed when you die trying to shed the blood of another,
jihad.
4. In Christianity forgiveness is guaranteed when you die to yourself by trusting in Christ who
shed his own blood for us.
1. It is by grace, not by works
1. Rom. 3:38, Rom. 4:1-5

• Only in the Christian Scriptures that we see the handiwork of
God revealed through prophecy.

1.Jesus born of a virgin
1. Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be
with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”
2.Born in Bethlehem,
1. Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the
clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
3.That he would be God who was pierced
1. Zech. 12:10, “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of
Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they
have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and
grieve bitterly for him as one mourns for an only son.”

1.We see the crucifixion prophesied in Psalm 22, 1000 years BC, and 400
years before crucifixion was invented.
1. Psalm 22:1, Psalm 22:11-18, “For the director of music. To the tune
of “The Doe of the Morning.” A psalm of David. My God, my God,
why have you forsaken me? . . . Do not be far from me, for trouble
is near and there is no one to help. Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan. Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil
men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I
can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They
divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.”

• Only the Christian Scriptures do we see the true holiness of God who
does not lower his holiness to the level of sinful man.

1.In Christianity, God does not accept our sin-stained repentance. He is
too holy for that.
1. 1 Pet. 1:16, “Be holy for I am holy.”
2.In Islam, Allah accepts the sinner’s sincere efforts, efforts that can
never be absolutely pure.
3.In Christianity, holiness is God’s perfection, purity, wonder, awesome
greatness. He cannot sin, cannot lie, cannot deceive people, and
cannot require anything less than his own holy perfection. “Be holy
for I am holy.”

1.Yes, we are obligated to repent of our sins, (John 17:30) and yes
we ought to be sincere. God disdains hypocrisy.
2.But, in Islam, Allah accepts the sin-stained efforts of the Muslim.
3.Why? Because that is all that is left when you don’t have God
doing what you cannot do.
1. The God of Islam is not as holy as the God of the Bible.
2. The God of scripture cannot accept the sincere repentance of a person
for the forgiveness of sins because that would be showing favoritism,
which is wrong (James 2:2-4).

Salvation according to Islam
Quran and Hadith

1.Allah forgives all sins
1. Surah 39:53, “Say: “O my Servants who have transgressed against their
souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: for He is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

1.By Seeking Allah’s forgiveness
1. Surah 4:110, “If anyone does evil or wrongs his own soul but
afterward seeks Allah’s forgiveness, he will find Allah Oft-forgiving, Most
Merciful.”
2. Surah 11:52, “And O my people! Ask forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to
Him (in repentance): He will send you the skies pouring abundant rain, and
add strength to your strength: so turn ye not back in sin!”

1.By Works and faith
1.Surah 4:124, “If any do deeds of righteousness – be they male or
female – and have faith, they will enter Heaven, and not the least
injustice will be done to them.”
2.Surah 5:9, “To those who believe and do deeds of righteousness
hath Allah promised forgiveness and a great reward.”
3.Surah 11:11, “Not so do those who show patience and constancy,
and work righteousness; for them is forgiveness (of sins) and a
great reward.”

1.Surah 33:70-71, “O ye who believe! Fear Allah, and (always) say a word
directed to the Right: 71 That He may make your conduct whole and sound
and forgive you your sins: He that obeys Allah and His Apostle, has already
attained the highest achievement.”
2.Surah 66:8, “O ye who believe! Turn to Allah with sincere repentance: In the
hope that your Lord will remove from you your ills and admit you to
Gardens beneath which Rivers flow – the Day that Allah will not permit to be
humiliated the Prophet and those who believe with him. Their Light will run
forward before them and by their right hands, while they say, “Our Lord!
Perfect our Light for us, and grant us Forgiveness: for Thou hast power over
all things.”

1.Cannot be through Christ
1. Surah 35:18, “Nor can a bearer of burdens bear another’s burdens
if one heavily laden should call another to (bear) his load. Not the
least portion of it can be carried (by the other). Even though he be
nearly related. Thou canst but admonish such as fear their Lord
unseen and establish regular Prayer. And whoever purifies himself
does so for the benefit of his own soul; and the destination (of all)
is to Allah.”

1. Good deeds alone not enough
1. “Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: None
amongst you would attain salvation purely because of his deeds. A person said:
Allah’s Messenger, even you also. Thereupon he said: Yes. Not even I, but that Allah
wraps me in Mercy, but you should act with moderation. This hadith has been
transmitted on the authority of Bukair b. al-Ashajj with a slight variation of
wording.” (Sahih Muslim, Book #039, Hadith #6760)
2. “Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: There
is none amongst you whose deeds alone would attain salvation for him. They (the
Companions) said: Allah’s Messenger, not even you? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Not
even I, but that Allah wraps me in Mercy and He grants me pardon. Ibn ‘Aun pointed
towards his head with his hand saying: Not even I, but that Allah wraps me in His
Forgiveness and Mercy.” (Sahih Muslim, Book #039, Hadith #6762)

1.Repeating a sentence 100 times adds good works and removes bad ones.
1. Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Apostle said, “If one says one-hundred times in
one day: “None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, the Alone Who has
no partners, to Him belongs Dominion and to Him belong all the Praises, and
He has power over all things (i.e. Omnipotent)”, one will get the reward of
manumitting ten slaves, and one-hundred good deeds will be written in his
account, and one-hundred bad deeds will be wiped off or erased from his
account, and on that day he will be protected from the morning till evening
from Satan, and nobody will be superior to him except one who has done more
than that which he has done.” (Sahih Bukhari, Book #54, Hadith #514)

1.Scales of works
1. Surah 23:102-103, “Then those whose balance (of good deeds) is
heavy – they will attain salvation: 103 But those whose balance is
light, will be those who have lost their souls, in Hell will they
abide.”
2. Surah 21:47, “We shall set up scales of justice for the Day of
Judgment, so that not a soul will be dealt with unjustly in the
least, and if there be (no more than) the weight of a mustard seed,
We will bring it (to account): and enough are We to take account.”

1.Sincerity and repentance necessary
1. Surah 66:8, “O ye who believe! Turn to Allah with sincere repentance: In
the hope that your Lord will remove from you your ills and admit you to
Gardens beneath which Rivers flow – the Day that Allah will not permit
to be humiliated the Prophet and those who believe with him. Their
Light will run forward before them and by their right hands, while they
say, “Our Lord! Perfect our Light for us, and grant us Forgiveness: for
Thou hast power over all things.”
2. Surah 4:17, “Allah accept the repentance of those who do evil in
ignorance and repent soon afterwards; to them will Allah turn in mercy:
For Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom.”

1. Tied to faith in Muhammad
1. Surah 4:13-14, “Those are limits set by Allah: those who obey Allah and His Apostle
will be admitted to Gardens with rivers flowing beneath,, to abide therein (for ever)
and that will be the supreme achievement. 14 But those who disobey Allah and His
Apostle and transgress His limits will be admitted to a Fire, to abide therein: And
they shall have a humiliating punishment.”
2. Surah 4:150-151, “Those who deny Allah and His apostles,, and (those who) wish to
separate Allah from His apostles, saying: “We believe in some but reject others”: And
(those who) wish to take a course midway – 151 They are in truth (equally)
unbelievers; and we have prepared for unbelievers a humiliating punishment.”
3. Surah 8:13, “This because they contended against Allah and His Apostle: If any
contend against Allah and His Apostle, Allah is strict in punishment.”

1.Surah 9:63, “Know they not that for those who oppose Allah and His
Apostle, is the Fire of Hell?—wherein they shall dwell. That is the
supreme disgrace.”
2.Surah 33:70-71, “O ye who believe! Fear Allah, and (always) say a word
directed to the Right: 71 That He may make your conduct whole and
sound and forgive you your sins: He that obeys Allah and His Apostle,
has already attained the highest achievement.”

Who has performed the
greatest act of love?
God of the Bible or God of the
Quran?
From carm.org

The Greatest Act of Love
• “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay his life down for
his friend.” (John 15:13)
• According to Jesus, the greatest act of love is to sacrifice one’s
life for another. This means that giving one’s life for another is a
greater act of love than providing food for him, giving him a
family, being nice to him or being honest, helpful, or whatever.
Self-sacrifice, to the point of death, is the very greatest act of
love.

• Has Allah performed the greatest act of love? The answer is
no. Allah has not sacrificed himself at all. Allah has not died for
another. Allah has not loved us to the point of death. In
Christianity, Jesus, who is God in flesh (John 1:1, 14), laid His life
down for us. Jesus performed the greatest act of love.

If Islam is true . . .
• If Islam is true and Allah is the true God, then Jesus, a creation (according to
Islam) has performed a greater act of love than Allah (according to the Bible). A
mere man has outdone Allah in love and sacrifice. But, of course, Islam denies
that Jesus ever died. They then say that Jesus has not done the greatest act of
love. Their denial does not change the fact that Jesus died on the cross as is
amply attested to by the eyewitnesses who wrote the gospel. Besides, whether or
not the Muslim believes Jesus died on the cross does not change the fact that
Jesus told us what the greatest act of love was–and Allah has not done it. Yet,
according to Christianity, He has. Since Muslims want Christians to adopt Islam,
they are asking Christians to give up their Lord who has performed the greatest
act of love on their behalf. Why would they want to do that?

• If Christianity is true, then God has performed the greatest act
of love. If Islam is true, then God hasn’t. Which “god” then is
more loving: the one who speaks of love or the one who acts
out love?

Who does God love?
• Does God love all? In Islam, the answer is no. In Christianity, the
answer is yes. Consider the following verses from the Quran.
• “Whoever is an enemy to Allah and His angels and messengers, to
Gabriel and Michael,- Lo! Allah is an enemy to those who reject Faith,”
(2:98, Trans. Yusuf Ali)
• “Say: Obey Allah and the Messenger; but if they turn back, then surely
Allah does not love the unbelievers,” 3:32, Trans. Shakir).

Consider the following verses from the
Bible
• “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).
• “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your
enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you
in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His
sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the
unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not
even the tax-gatherers do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what do
you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you
are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect,” (Matt. 5:43-48).

• We can easily see the huge difference between the God of Islam
and the God of the Bible. In Islam, God does not love all
people. In the Bible, God does love all people. In Islam, Allah
did not die for the sins of those who were not his. In the Bible,
God did do that. In Islam, Allah has not performed the greatest
act of love. In the Bible, God did exactly that.

• What makes you think that I want to give up my Lord who loves
me so much that He would die for me, and did die for me, for a
god who has not and cannot perform the greatest act of love?

Conclusion

1.Sin is breaking the law of God, (1 John 3:4).
2.Laws have punishments.
3.If God ignores his own law, then he is unrighteous.
4.An analogy of the unrighteous judge
1. If there is a man who was a murderer and he is sentenced to death
according to the law, but the judge ignores the law and sets the
man free, is that judge righteous?

1.When a person sins against Allah, is it not proper for Allah to judge that
person according to his own righteous law? Yes. Is ignoring the Law
right? No, it is not.
2.But, in Islam, Allah ignores his own law when he forgives a person. He does
not carry out the requirement of the Law by punishing the sinner. Instead,
he dismisses his own law. He ignores it. How can Allah be true if he
requires holiness and righteousness but ignores his own holiness and
righteousness when he forgives a Muslim and ignores the righteousness of
his own law?
3.How is Allah just if he dismisses his own righteous law?
4.How does Allah satisfy the righteous requirement of the Law?

1.In Christianity, God does not ignore his own law. He fulfills it.
1. He became one of us, under the Law.
2. He never sinned, 1 Pet. 2:22
3. He bore our sins
4. Sins are legal debts that are transferrable.
5. Our legal sin debt was transferred to Christ where he died on the
cross, fulfilling the requirements of the law.
6. So, in Christianity, the law is satisfied by God and not ignored.
Therefore, the God of Christianity is righteous.

1.The Qur’an says “To those who believe and do deeds of righteousness
hath Allah promised forgiveness and a great reward” (Surah 5:9).
1. Question: Are you doing enough good deeds to receive salvation
on the Day of Judgment?
2. Question: Are you doing all you can or are you relaxing in your
dedication to Allah?

• The Qur’an says, “O ye who believe! Turn unto Allah in sincere
repentance! It may be that your Lord will remit from you your evil
deeds and bring you into Gardens underneath which rivers flow, on
the day when Allah will not abase the Prophet and those who believe
with him. Their light will run before them and on their right hands;
they will say: Our Lord! Perfect our light for us, and forgive us! Lo!
Thou art Able to do all things,” (66:8-9). Notice how it says if you are
sincere you may receive forgiveness.

1.Question: How do you know you are sincere enough to be forgiven of Allah?
2.Question: Does it give you peace to know that even if you are very sincere then, at
best, you may receive forgiveness?
3.Question: If you say that you know you are sincere enough in your repentance
before Allah, how do you know you are not deceiving yourself?
4.Question: Is your heart really good enough to muster enough sincerity before a
Holy and Righteous God?
5.Question: If you say yes, I honestly and humbly ask you, “Are you being prideful?”
6.Question: If you say you are not being prideful, then are you boasting in your
sincerity?

1.In Christianity, Jesus is God in flesh who paid for our sins on the cross
(1 Pet. 2:24). Because of that, we Christians are secure in Him and do
not have to worry about doing enough good works to please God
since we are saved by grace through faith in Him, (Eph. 2:8-9).
1. Question: Why should we Christians give up our guarantee of
salvation in Jesus for the requirements of your Qur’anic law when
you yourselves don’t even know if you have done enough good
deeds to be saved on the Day of Judgment?

1.The Bible says that God is love (1 John 4:16) and that He loves all
people (Matt. 5:43-48; John 3:16). The Qur’an never says that “God is
love.” In fact, the Qur’an says that Allah does not love unbelievers
(2:98; 3:32).
1. Question: If Allah does not love unbelievers, can you say that
Allah is love, especially if the Qur’an does not say it?
2. Question: If you say yes, that Allah is love, then why does he only
love the Muslims and not all people?
3. Question: If you say Allah is love, is he more loving than the God
of the Bible who loves all people?

1.In the Bible, Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a
man lay down his life for his friends.” In Christianity, the greatest act of love is
performed by God Himself — since Jesus is God in flesh (John 1:1, 14; Col.
2:9). Jesus is the one who fulfilled His own words on this. He laid His life down
for us.
1. Question: What is the greatest act of love performed by Allah?
2. Question: If what Jesus said is true, then hasn’t someone besides Allah
performed the greatest act of love?
3. Question: Why do you, as a Muslim, want me to give up such a great love
performed by God Himself (from a Christian perspective) for your belief in
Allah who only loves people if they are Muslims?

Answering Objections

LUKE 18:18–30—IF JESUS IS GOD, WHY DID HE REBUKE
THE YOUNG RULER FOR CALLING HIM GOOD?
• PROBLEM: The rich young ruler called Jesus “Good Teacher,” and Jesus
rebuked him, saying, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One,
that is, God.” Yet on other occasions Jesus not only claimed to be God
(Mark 2:8–10; John 8:58; 10:30), but He accepted the claim of others that
He was God (John 20:28–29). Why did Jesus appear to deny that He was
God to the young ruler?

• SOLUTION: Jesus did not deny He was God to the young ruler. He simply
asked him to examine the implications of what he was saying. In effect,
“Do you realize what you are saying when you call Me Good? Are you

• The young man did not realize the implications of what he was saying. Thus Jesus was forcing him
to a very uncomfortable dilemma. Either Jesus was good and God, or else He was bad and man. A
good God or a bad man, but not merely a good man. Those are the real alternatives with regard to
Christ. For no good man would claim to be God when he was not. The liberal Christ, who was only
a good moral teacher but not God, is a figment of human imagination.

HOSEA 6:6—DO THE PROPHETS DISAVOW
THE SACRIFICIAL SYSTEM OF MOSES?
• PROBLEM: Moses commanded the use of sacrifices in the worship of the
Lord, saying, “And you shall burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt
offering to the Lord; it is a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the
Lord” (Ex. 29:18). However, the later prophets seemed to repeatedly
repudiate the sacrificial system. Hosea quotes the Lord, saying, “I desire
mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt
offerings” (Hos. 6:6). David confessed to God, “You do not desire
sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering” (Ps.
51:16). God declared through Jeremiah, “Your burnt offerings are not
acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet to Me” (Jer. 6:20).

• SOLUTION: The later prophets did not repudiate the OT sacrificial system—they
only stressed that God did not desire mere outward observance, but
three lines of evidence. First, God expressed approval with the offering of
period in which many of the above quoted verses were written, which are
disapproval. For example, Solomon offered thousands of burnt offerings to the
a supernatural manifestation of fire from heaven (2 Chron. 7:1–4). The godly King
obedience to the Law of Moses by eating the passover lamb (cf. 2 Kings 23:21–
burnt sacrifices which were acceptable to God (cf. 2 Kings 16:15; 2 Chron.
the end of the OT, sacrifices were offered during the time of Ezra (cf. Ezra
10:33) which were accepted by God.

• Second, even the later prophets themselves offered sacrifices and/or encouraged others to do so.
Samuel offered a “burnt offering to the Lord” (1 Sam. 7:9). Elijah offered a “burnt sacrifice” on Mt.
Carmel which God accepted (1 Kings 18:38). The prophet Joel lamented that “the grain offering and
the drink offering have been cut off from the house of the Lord” (Joel 1:9, 13). Likewise, Zephaniah
prophesied of a time when worshipers would return with an “offering” to the Lord (Zeph. 3:10).
Ezekiel also predicted the continuance of offerings in the future kingdom (Ezek. 40:38). Even David,
who stressed the need for inner purity of heart, nevertheless, in the same psalm, spoke of the need
to offer a “burnt offering” (Ps. 51:19).

• Finally, the verses that seem to speak against sacrifices and offerings do not condemn them as such, but only
in the vain way in which they were being offered. It was ritual without reality that God condemned. They had a
“form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Tim. 3:5). That this is what the verses mean is evident from
several facts: (1) As just noted, during this same period God was accepting sacrifices offered with a right
heart. (2) Also, as just observed, even the prophets themselves offered sacrifices to the Lord. (3) Samuel the
prophet, who made one of the condemning statements (1 Sam. 15:22), offered a sacrifice to the Lord in the
very next chapter (1 Sam. 16:2, 5). (4) The very wording of this condemnation implies that God was not
against sacrifices as such. For example, the prophet Samuel said “to obey is better than sacrifice, And to
heed than the fat of rams” (1 Sam. 15:22). It is clear that this is not a condemnation of sacrifices, but of
sacrifices without an obedient heart.

What does Matthew 12:7
mean?
• Matthew has quoted Jesus referring to this Old Testament passage once before.
In that case, the Pharisees were asking Jesus' disciples why He ate with tax
collectors and sinners. Then, as here, Jesus referred to the distinction between
mercy and sacrifice (Matthew 9:9–13). This citation comes from Hosea 6:6.

• Again, Christ seeks to hold the Pharisees accountable for failing to do their job.
They should have been providing spiritual care and leadership to the people of
Israel. Jesus applies the quote from Hosea to their leadership. He insists their job
is to show mercy to the people of God instead of weighing them down with
burdensome rules and regulations that went far beyond a clear reading of God's
requirements in the Law.

• Jesus tells these Pharisees their accusation of lawbreaking against His disciples
for plucking and eating grain on the Sabbath is more evidence they don't grasp
God's will. They don't understand the heart of God for His people. They still hold
religious rule-following, a wooden and thoughtless adherence to tradition and
literalism, as a higher value than showing mercy to the people under their care.

How about Isaiah 53?
Is the “The Suffering Servant” prophecy in Isaiah 53 about Jesus?
(by GotQuestions)

• Perhaps the greatest of all Messianic prophecies in the Tanakh (the Hebrew
Scriptures / the Old Testament) concerning the advent of the Jewish Messiah is
found in the 53rd chapter of the prophet Isaiah. This section of the Prophets, also
known as the “Suffering Servant,” has been long understood by the historical
Rabbis of Judaism to speak of the Redeemer who will one day come to Zion.
Here is a sampling of what Judaism has traditionally believed about the identity of
the “Suffering Servant" of Isaiah 53:

• The Babylonian Talmud says: “The Messiah, what is his name? The Rabbis say,
The Leper Scholar, as it is said, ‘surely he has borne our griefs and carried our
sorrows: yet we did esteem him a leper, smitten of God and afflicted...’”
(Sanhedrin 98b).
• Midrash Ruth Rabbah says: “Another explanation (of Ruth 2:14): He is speaking
of king Messiah; ‘Come hither,’ draw near to the throne; ‘and eat of the bread,’
that is, the bread of the kingdom; ‘and dip thy morsel in the vinegar,’ this refers to
his chastisements, as it is said, ‘But he was wounded for our transgressions,
bruised for our iniquities.’”
• The Targum Jonathan says: “Behold my servant Messiah shall prosper; he shall
be high and increase and be exceedingly strong."

• The Zohar says: “‘He was wounded for our transgressions,’ etc....There is in the
Garden of Eden a palace called the Palace of the Sons of Sickness; this palace
the Messiah then enters, and summons every sickness, every pain, and every
chastisement of Israel; they all come and rest upon him. And were it not that he
had thus lightened them off Israel and taken them upon himself, there had been
no man able to bear Israel’s chastisements for the transgression of the law: and
this is that which is written, ‘Surely our sicknesses he hath carried.’”

• The great (Rambam) Rabbi Moses Maimonides says: “What is the manner of
Messiah’s advent....there shall rise up one of whom none have known before,
and signs and wonders which they shall see performed by him will be the proofs
of his true origin; for the Almighty, where he declares to us his mind upon this
matter, says, `Behold a man whose name is the Branch, and he shall branch forth
out of his place’ (Zechariah 6:12). And Isaiah speaks similarly of the time when he
shall appear, without father or mother or family being known, He came up as a
sucker before him, and as a root out of dry earth, etc....in the words of Isaiah,
when describing the manner in which kings will harken to him, At him kings will
shut their mouth; for that which had not been told them have they seen, and that
which they had not heard they have perceived.”

• The second verse of Isaiah 53 confirms this clarity. The figure grows up as “a
young plant, and like a root out of dry ground.” The shoot springing up is beyond
reasonable doubt a reference to the Messiah, and, in fact, it is a common
Messianic reference in Isaiah and elsewhere. The Davidic dynasty was to be cut
down in judgment like a felled tree, but it was promised to Israel that a new sprout
would shoot up from the stump. King Messiah was to be that sprout.
• Beyond doubt, the “Suffering Servant” of Isaiah 53 refers to Messiah. He is the
one highly exalted before whom kings shut their mouths. Messiah is the shoot
who sprung up from the fallen Davidic dynasty. He became the King of Kings. He
provided the ultimate atonement.

• Isaiah 53 must be understood as referring to the coming Davidic King, the
Messiah. King Messiah was prophesied to suffer and die to pay for our sins and
then rise again. He would serve as a priest to the nations of the world and apply
the blood of atonement to cleanse those who believe. There is One alone to
whom this can refer, Jesus Christ!
• Those who confess him are his children, his promised offspring, and the spoils of
his victory. According to the testimony of the Jewish Apostles, Jesus died for our
sins, rose again, ascended to the right hand of God, and He now serves as our
great High Priest who cleanses us of sin (Hebrew 2:17; 8:1). Jesus, the Jewish
Messiah, is the one Isaiah foresaw.

• Rabbi Moshe Kohen Ibn Crispin said, “This rabbi described those who
interpret Isaiah 53 as referring to Israel as those ‘having forsaken the knowledge
of our Teachers, and inclined after the stubbornness of their own hearts, and of
their own opinion, I am pleased to interpret it, in accordance with the teaching of
our Rabbis, of the King Messiah.’” This prophecy was delivered by Isaiah at the
divine command for the purpose of making known to us something about the
nature of the future Messiah, who is to come and deliver Israel, and his life from
the day when he arrives at discretion until his advent as a redeemer, in order that
if anyone should arise claiming to be himself the Messiah, we may reflect, and
look to see whether we can observe in him any resemblance to the traits
described here; if there is any such resemblance, then we may believe that he is
the Messiah our righteousness; but if not, we cannot do so.

Islamic Version
of Salvation Christianity Makes
Sense

1.Allah forgives all sins
1. Surah 39:53, “Say: “O my Servants who have transgressed against
their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all
sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

1.By Seeking Allah’s forgiveness
1. Surah 4:110, “If anyone does evil or wrongs his own soul but
afterward seeks Allah’s forgiveness, he will find Allah Oft-
forgiving, Most Merciful.”
2. Surah 11:52, “And O my people! Ask forgiveness of your Lord, and
turn to Him (in repentance): He will send you the skies pouring
abundant rain, and add strength to your strength: so turn ye not
back in sin!”

Genesis 3:15
• I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her
offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

• In direct response to the serpent's deception and Adam's and Eve's
disobedience, God pronounces curses on each of them, as well as on
the generations to follow.
• In the previous verse, God began his curse on both the serpent and
on Satan, who took the serpent's form or body. In this verse, the curse
is focused entirely on Satan. God promises to make enemies of Satan
and the woman. In fact, their offspring—or "seed"—will remain
enemies throughout all generations.

• Eve's offspring, of course, includes all of humanity, born one
generation after another up to the present day. But who is Satan's
offspring? It's unlikely this refers to actual biological children of the
Devil. Satan's offspring may include all of the fallen angels, demons,
who will follow him. It definitely includes those humans who will come
to believe and practice his lies.

• Jesus, calling out the Jewish religious leaders in John 8:44, said this:
"You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your
father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to
the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his
native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.“
• God's final curse or oracle to the serpent was that the offspring of the
woman will crush, or bruise, Satan's head, and Satan would strike or
bruise his heel. Many Bible scholars see this as a reference to Christ,
the Son of God, and also the ultimate member of Eve's offspring.
Satan would damage Christ, but He would have the ultimate victory
on behalf of humanity. Those in Christ will celebrate the victory with
Him for eternity.

• The bottom line of God's curse on Satan is this: He has been the
enemy of humanity since the beginning. He can never be trusted. As
Peter wrote, he continues to hunt and seek to devour humans to this
very day (1 Peter 5:8), though he won't be allowed to do so forever.

• FYI. Trinity is NOT a belief in three gods, but belief in one being of God who
existed in three co-equal and co-eternal persons, the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit.
• The Council of Nicea has nothing to do with the doctrine of the Trinity. In
fact, this council just presented good reasons why Jesus really claimed to be
God and why the Trinity is true based on the Scriptures.

• The Trinity is just like every other monotheistic doctrine in teaching that there is only one
God. If we miss this, we miss everything! Christianity has always taught that there is only
one God. Where Christian theology differs from other forms of monotheism is not on the
number of gods, but on the concept of God’s personhood. The doctrine of the Trinity
teaches that the one God exists as three persons.

• It is at this point that Muslims often level a charge of self-contradiction, but it
certainly is not, and here is why: person is not the same as being. Your being is the
quality that makes you what you are, but your person is the quality that makes you
who you are. For example, we are humans. That is what we are. That is why we
are called human beings. But what we are is not the same as who we are.

• Unlike a human being, which has only one person, God has three persons. He is
one being, Yahweh, in three persons: Father, Son, and Spirit. He’s more than able
to exist like that because he is God. If we say God must have only one person, like
humans, then we are making God in our image. Who are we to limit God? It is up
to God to tell us who he is

• That is where the discussion should really be between Muslims and Christians: on
revelation, not on the conceptual plane of “Trinity versus tawhid,” as if our reason
alone can dictate or even decipher the nature of God. Based on their traditional
teachings, Muslims and Christians should agree that God is greater than we can
possibly conceive, more complex than we could ever hope to grasp. We are in no
position to determine the intricacies of God’s nature. If he were to inform us that he
is one being in one person, we are obligated to believe him. If he tells us, “I am
one being in three persons,” who are we to say no to God? As believers in
revelation, we must turn to divine Scripture to learn about God.

• Scripture is the reason why Christians believe God is triune. The
doctrine of the Trinity is the best interpretation of the Bible. Just as the
Quran does not systematically expound upon the doctrine of tawhid,
the Bible does not expound upon the doctrine of the Trinity in any one
place. However, there are five elements found repeatedly throughout
the Bible’s text that are best interpreted through the lens of the Trinity:

1. There is only one God (e.g., Rom. 3:30)
2. The Father is God (e.g., John 6:27)
3. Jesus is God (e.g., John 20:28; Rom. 9:5; 2 Peter 1:1)
4. The Holy Spirit is God (e.g., Acts 5:3–5)
5. These three are distinct persons (e.g., John 14:16–17)

• A verse that indicates the unity of these three distinct persons is
Matthew 28:19, which says, “Go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit” (NIV). All three persons in this verse share one name,
because they are one being. Now you may have noticed that the
above verses are found in the New Testament. A common question
that Muslims ask is, “If God is a Trinity, why do we have to wait until
the New Testament to see it? Why did God not even give a hint of the
Trinity before?”

• Genesis 1:1 reads: “In the beginning God created the heavens and
the earth” (NIV). If we look more closely at the word we translate
“God,” Elohim, we see it is plural. If we were to translate it literally, we
would translate it “Gods.” But the reason we do not translate it that
way is because the verb in the sentence is singular. The word Elohim
is plural, but the verse treats it as a singular noun. So, in the very first
verse of the Bible, we see that God is in some sense plural, but in
some sense singular. This fits the model of the Trinity perfectly: God is
in one sense plural in terms of his persons, but in another sense
singular in terms of his being. A monadic interpretation of God makes
less sense of the verse.

• The second is found in verse 26, where God says, “Let us make man
in our image” (NIV). He refers to himself in the plural. Why would God
call himself “us”? Some people respond that it is a plural of majesty; a
king might refer to himself as “we,” and indeed, Allah does this
throughout the Quran. Such an explanation is anachronistic, though.
Biblical Hebrew does not use the plural of majesty, and it is probable
that such a literary device had not been invented yet. To say that the
Bible is using a plural of majesty is to apply later manners of speaking
and writing to the Bible, which is poor methodology. God is not
referring to himself here with a “royal we.” God is pointing out that, in
some sense, he is plural.

• Another indication of his plurality is found in verse 27, which reads:
“And God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he
created him; male and female he created them.” After emphasizing
that God created mankind in his image, the Bible then says he
created them male and female. That’s not to say God has genders,
but it is to say that there is plurality in his image. This is reflected in
Scripture’s use of him to refer to mankind, and then its switch to them.
Mankind is in one sense singular, one humanity, but in another sense
plural, composed of men and women. That is the image of God: both
singular and plural.

• Before moving on, it is worth mentioning that the Trinity is implicit
throughout the Old Testament. In Genesis 18, we find Yahweh coming
as a man to speak with Abraham, informing him that he will destroy
Sodom and Gomorrah. Then, in verse 19:24, the Bible says, “Yahweh
rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from Yahweh
out of the heavens.” Yahweh appears to be both on earth and in the
heavens, the person on the earth raining down sulfur from the person
in heaven.

• Lest it appear that this is not what Genesis is saying, Amos 4:11
confirms this interpretation: “ ‘I overthrew some among you as God
overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah . . .’ declares Yahweh.” Here,
Yahweh refers to God in the third person. This makes little sense
within a monotheistic framework unless we read the Old Testament
through the lens of the Trinity.

• Finally, an example of a passage in the Old
Testament that features the deity of all three
persons of the Trinity can be found in Isaiah 48:12–
16. The clarity of the statement can be lost because
of the many statements emphasizing the
sovereignty of the speaker, but if we remove the
intervening statements, the passage reads: “ ‘I am
he; I am the first and the last. Indeed, my own hand
established the earth . . .’ and now the Lord God
and his Spirit have sent me.” Here, the Alpha and
the Omega says he was sent by the Lord God along
with his Spirit. The next verse calls the speaker
“Yahweh,” “Redeemer,” and “the Holy One of Israel.”
In this passage, Yahweh is sent by Yahweh and the
Spirit of Yahweh, and this makes little sense unless
read through the lens of the Trinity.

The Trinity, the Tawhid, and
the Qur’an

• Just as the Bible is the reason Christians believe in the Trinity, the Quran is the
reason Muslims deny it. The clearest rejection of the Trinity in the Quran is 4.171.
After denying the deity of Jesus, it says: “Do not say ‘three.’ (It would be) better for
you (if you) stop. Only Allah is God. One.” But when we study the Quran more
carefully, it appears the Quran is not actually denying the Trinity but rather
polytheism, that Jesus is a second deity alongside God. For example, after
denying that Jesus is God, 5.73 says, “Certainly they are infidels who say, ‘truly,
God is the third (of) three.’ There is no god but one God.” If the Quran envisions
the Trinity as three gods, with Allah as one and Jesus as the second, who is the
third? Apparently it is Mary, as is most clear in 5.116, where Allah says to Jesus:
“Did you say to the people, ‘Take me and my mother as two gods in addition to
Allah’?”

• So the trinity that the Quran denies is actually tritheism, three gods: Allah, Jesus,
and Mary. At this point, some Christians argue the Quran gets the Trinity wrong,
and this disproves the Quran. Muslims often argue in response that there very well
may have been Christians that worshiped Mary, Jesus, and God as a trinity, and
that the verses of the Quran are directed toward them. I choose to avoid this
discussion, emphasizing instead that the Quran effectively denies polytheism,
three gods, not the concept of a triune God as Christianity has traditionally taught.

• Throughout the rest of the Quran, Allah regularly says that there is only one God
(e.g., 16.51; 47.19; 112.1), but always as a rejection of polytheism. The Quran
never rejects the possibility of one God subsisting in three persons. The omission
is noteworthy, as this had been the orthodox doctrine of Christianity for centuries
before Muhammad and the advent of the Quran.

The Council of Nicea:
Revisited

• For many years, the council of Nicea has been the subject of much confusion
among laypeople. The misapprehensions which have come to be associated
with the council of Nicea have, in part, been fuelled by popular fiction
novels such as Dan Brown’s notorious The Da Vinci Code. No matter what
group you are dealing with in your apologetic exploits (including atheists,
Muslims, Jehovah’s witnesses, and Unitarians), you are almost guaranteed
to encounter some of these misconceptions. For this reason, it is important
for Christians to study and learn church history so that they might correct
common myths and falsehoods.

• The council of Nicea was famously convened on May 20, 325 AD, at the
request of Emperor Constantine. What did the council of bishops meet to
discuss? Contrary to the common misconception (popularised particularly in
Muslim circles) that has been widely circulated via the internet, the council
of Nicea did not meet to discuss the canon of Scripture — that is, the
decision about which books should make up the New Testament. In fact,
there is not a shred of evidence that the canon of Scripture was even
brought up at Nicea.

• Another misconception is that the council of Nicea, at the encouraging of
Constantine, “invented” the deity of Christ or, at the very least, that the
bishops in attendance at Nicea were significantly divided on the issue, the
matter being decided with a vote. This too, however, is completely
inaccurate. In 325 AD, when the bishops convened at Nicea, the deity of
Christ had been affirmed almost unanimously by the Christian movement
for close to three hundred years!

• The bishops who met at Nicea had just come out of an extremely
challenging time of intense persecution by the Romans, having lived through
the cruelty of the Emperors Diocletian (ruling 284-305) and Maximian (ruling
286-305). One of the bishops present at Nicea, Paphnutius, had even lost his
right eye and been given a limp in his left leg as a consequence of his
profession of faith. According to one ancient writer, Theodoret (393-457),

• “Paul, bishop of Neo-Cæsarea, a fortress situated on the banks of the
Euphrates, had suffered from the frantic rage of Licinius. He had been
deprived of the use of both hands by the application of a red-hot iron,
by which the nerves which give motion to the muscles had been
contracted and rendered dead. Some had had the right eye dug out,
others had lost the right arm. Among these was Paphnutius of Egypt.
In short, the Council looked like an assembled army of martyrs.”

• The story of the Nicean council begins in Alexandria in northwest Egypt. The
archbishop of Alexandria was a man by the name of Alexander. A member of
his senior clergy, called Arius, took issue with Alexander’s view of Jesus’s
divine nature, insisting that the Son is, in fact, himself a created being. In
similar fashion to modern Jehovah’s Witnesses, Arius maintained that Jesus
was like the Father inasmuch as they both existed before creation, played a
role in the creation and were exalted above it. But the Son, according to the
theology of Arius, was the first of God’s creations and was commissioned by
the Father to create the world.

• On this point, Alexander strongly disagreed, and publically challenged Arius’s
heretical teachings. In 318 AD, Alexander called together a hundred or so
bishops to talk over the matter and to defrock Arius. Arius, however, went to
Nicomedia in Asia Minor and rallied his supporters, including Eusebius of
Nicomedia, who was a relative by marriage to Constantine, the emperor,
and a theologian in the imperial court. Eusebius and Arius wrote to many
bishops who had not been involved in the defrocking of Arius. The effect
was the creation of divisions among the bishops. Embarrassed by such
bickering, the emperor Constantine convened the ecumenical council of
Nicea in 325.

• Constantine’s primary concern was imperial unity rather than theological
accuracy, and he desired a decision that would be supported by the greatest
number of bishops, regardless of what conclusion was reached. His
theological advisor, Hosius, served to get the emperor up to speed before
the arrival of the bishops. Since Arius was not a bishop, he was not invited to
sit on the council. However, his supporter Eusebius of Nicomedia acted on
Arius’s behalf and presented his point of view.

• Arius’s position regarding the finite nature of the Son was not popular with
the bishops. It became clear, however, that a formal statement concerning
the nature of the Son and his relationship to the Father was needed. The
real issue at the council of Nicea was thus how, and not if, Jesus was divine.

• A formal statement was eventually put together and signed by the bishops.
Those who declined to sign the statement were stripped of their rank of
bishop. The few who supported Arius insisted that only language found in
Scripture should feature in the statement, whereas Arius’s critics insisted
that only non-Biblical language was adequate to fully unpack the
implications of the language found in the Bible.

• It was Constantine who eventually suggested that the Father and Son be
said to be of the “same substance” (homoousios in Greek). Although
Constantine hoped that this statement would keep all parties happy
(implying the complete deity of Jesus without going much further), the
supporters of Arius insisted that this language suggested that the Father and
Son were equal but didn’t explain how this was compatible with the central
tenet of monotheism (i.e., the belief in only one deity).

• “We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of all things, visible and
invisible; And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten from the Father,
only-begotten, that is, from the substance of the Father, God from God, light from
light, true God from true God, begotten not made, of one substance with the Father,
through Whom all things came into being, things in heaven and things on earth,
Who because of us men and because of our salvation came down and became
incarnate, becoming man, suffered and rose again on the third day, ascended to the
heavens, and will come to judge the living and the dead; And in the Holy Spirit. But
as for those who say, ‘There was when He was not, and, Before being born He was
not, and that He came into existence out of nothing, or who assert that the Son of
God is from a different hypostasis or substance, or is created, ir is subject to
alteration or change — these the Catholic Church anathematizes.”

• With the exception of two (Secundus of Ptolemais and Theonas of
Marmarcia), the creed was signed by all the bishops, numbering more than
300. Arius’s supporters had been overwhelmingly defeated.
• Arius’s supporters, however, managed to find some wiggle room. A single
letter iota changes the meaning of homo (“same”) to “like” (homoi). The
latter could be exploited by Arius and his followers to describe a created
Christ. Moreover, it was argued, the creed could be interpreted as
supporting Sabellianism, an ancient heresy which fails to discriminate
between persons of the Godhead. It was this in-house squabbling between
bishops that ultimately led to the council of Constantinople in 381.

• A company of bishops started to campaign for the formal reinstatement of
Arius as a presbyter in Alexandria. Constantine yielded to their petition and,
in 332, re-instated Arius as a presbyter. Athanasius, who had recently
succeeded his mentor Alexander as bishop of Alexandria, was instructed to
accept Arius into the church once again. Needless to say, Athanasius did not
comply with this order. The consequence was an exile. Constantine had little
interest in the precision of his theology — rather, it was the struggle for
imperial unity that was his motivation.

• In conclusion, although popular misconceptions about the council of Nicea
are rampant, the idea that the council of Nicea determined which books
comprised the new testament or that it invented the deity of Christ to
comply with the demands of Constantine are myths. Indeed, correct
theology was of little concern to Constantine, who cared much more about
imperial unity. Christians must make a serious effort to study and learn
church history, so that when we encounter such claims in the media and in
our personal evangelism, we may know how to present an accurate account
of our history.

Bible Passages about the Pre-incarnate Christ
Genesis 12:7-9 – The Lord appeared to Abraham on his arrival in the land God had promised to him and his
descendants.
Genesis 18:1-33 – One day, Abraham had some visitors: two angels and God Himself. He invited them to come to his
home, and he and Sarah entertained them. Many commentators believe this could also be a Christophany, a pre-
incarnate appearance of Christ.
Genesis 32:22-30 – Jacob wrestled with what appeared to be a man, but was actually God (vv. 28-30). This may also
have been a Christophany.
Exodus 3:2 - 4:17 – God appeared to Moses in the form of a burning bush, telling him exactly what He wanted him to
do.

• Exodus 24:9-11 – God appeared to Moses with Aaron and his sons
and the seventy elders.
• Deuteronomy 31:14-15 – God appeared to Moses and Joshua in the
transfer of leadership to Joshua.
• Job 38–42 – God answered Job out of the tempest and spoke at great
length in answer to Job’s questions.

• Some Bible commentators believe that whenever someone received a visit from
“the angel of the Lord,” this was in fact the pre-incarnate Christ. These
appearances can be seen in Genesis 16:7-14; Genesis 22:11-18; Judges 5:23; 2
Kings 19:35; and other passages. Other commentators believe these were in fact
angelophanies, or appearances of angels. While there are no indisputable
Christophanies in the Old Testament, every theophany wherein God takes on
human form foreshadows the incarnation, where God took the form of a man to
live among us as Emmanuel, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).

Jesus was worshipped as God!
• From the beginning of Jesus’ life, we see examples of Him being worshiped. As
soon as the Magi laid eyes on the infant Christ, “they bowed down and worshiped
Him” (Matthew 2:11). The Bible records the initial response Jesus received when He
made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem: “So they took branches of palm trees and
went out to meet him, crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name
of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’” (Matthew 21:9; John 12:13) The word hosanna
is a plea for salvation and an expression of adoration. This word used by the crowd
is definitely a form of worship.
• Just after Jesus amazed the disciples by walking on water, “those who were in the
boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God’” (Matthew 14:33). Two
more memorable examples of Jesus accepting worship occurred just after His
resurrection. Some of the women (Matthew 28:8-9; Mark 16:1; Luke 24:10) were on
their way to tell the disciples of the resurrection when Jesus met them on their way.
When they realized it was He, they “came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped
him” (Matthew 28:9).

• Then there is the case of Thomas, who didn’t believe Jesus had risen
from the dead despite the other disciples’ testifying to that fact. It had
been about a week since the resurrection, and Thomas still doubted
it. Jesus, knowing Thomas doubted, appeared to him and showed him
the nail marks in His hands and feet and the wound in His side. How
did Thomas respond? “Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’”
(John 20:28). In none of these instances do we see Jesus telling
those worshiping Him to stop, as did mere men and even angels who
were being worshiped wrongly by others (Acts 10:25–26; Revelation
19:9–10).

John 8:40???
• In John 8:40, Jesus declares to the Jews, "But now you seek to kill me, a
man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not
Abraham."

• There is nothing within the word anthropos that denies John’s clear
affirmation that the Lord Jesus Christ is God’s eternal Word who became
flesh:
• "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. The Word was with God in the beginning. All things
were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created
that has been created. In him was life, and the life was the light of
mankind ... Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among
us. We saw his glory - the glory of the one and only, full of grace and
truth, who came from the Father." John 1:1-4, 14 NET Bible

• Had the objector continued reading further into the context of John, he would have found the Lord Jesus
acknowledging his eternal preexistence:
• "He said to them, ‘You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this
world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I AM you will die in your
sins.’" John 8:23-24
• "So Jesus said to them, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM, and
that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.’" John 8:28
• "Jesus replied, ‘If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come from God and am now
here.’" John 8:42 NET
• "‘Your father Abraham was overjoyed to see my day, and he saw it and was glad.’ Then the Jewish
people who had been listening to him replied, ‘You are not yet fifty years old! Have you seen
Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you the solemn truth, before Abraham came into existence, I
AM!’Then they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out from the temple
area." John 8:56-59 NET

• These passages demonstrate that Christ existed before Abraham, came down
out of heaven from the Father’s presence and is the Eternal I AM (a title used
in reference to Yahweh God). Cf. Deuteronomy 32:39; Isaiah 43:10-11; 44:6;
48:12
• Therefore, in light of John’s Christology the use of anthropos simply conveys
that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, perfectly uniting within his one
Person two distinct natures. Jesus is very God of very God, and man as God
intended man to be.

John 17:3 in Context
• "After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: ‘Father, the time has come. Glorify YOUR SON, that YOUR
SON may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people THAT HE MIGHT GIVE ETERNAL LIFE TO
ALL THOSE YOU HAVE GIVEN HIM. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now,
Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I HAD WITH YOU BEFORE THE WORLD BEGAN ... For I
gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they
believed that you sent me ... All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come TO ME through them.
I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by
the power of your name - the name you gave me - so that they may be one as we are one ... My prayer is not for them
alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you
are in me and I am in you. May they also be IN US so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given
them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I IN THEM and you in me. May they be brought to
complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I want
those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me BECAUSE
YOU LOVED ME BEFORE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD. Righteous Father, though the world does not know
you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you
known in order that the love you have for me may be in them AND THAT I MYSELF MAY BE IN THEM.’" John 17:1-
5, 8, 10-11, 20-26

• Jesus here affirms that:
1.He is God's Son (v. 2).
2.He gives eternal life to all that God gives him. This shows that he is God Almighty since
only God can give eternal life (v. 2).
3.He existed in glory with the Father even before the world (v. 5).
4.He demands to receive glory and be glorified alongside the Father. No creature can
make such a demand (vv. 2, 5).
5.All things that belong to God also belong to him (v. 10).
6.He will personally indwell all the believers, a claim of omnipresence. This again
demonstrates that Jesus is God since only God is omnipresent (vv. 20-23, 26).
7.He has been the object of the Father's love even before the creation of the world (v. 24).

• These points should indicate to the readers that Jesus was not denying his
Deity, but simply affirming that the Father is fully and underived Deity. Jesus
was acknowledging what every God-believing Jew must acknowledge,
namely that the Father is the only true God. Since the Bible teaches that Jesus
was both God and man, man as God intended man to be, it should not
surprise us to find the man Christ Jesus acknowledging the Deity of his
Father. After all, isn't it true that the Father is truly God?

• Secondly, we must bear in mind that the three Persons of the Godhead take pleasure in glorifying the others as the
following verses demonstrate:
• "When Jesus heard this, he said, "This sickness will not lead to death, but to God's glory, so that the Son
of God may be glorified through it." John 11:4 NET
• "When Judas had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in him. If
God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him right away." John
13:31-32 NET
• "He (the Holy Spirit) will glorify me, because he will receive from me what is mine and will tell it to you."
John 16:14 NET
• "As a result God exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow - in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess to the glory
of God the Father that Jesus Christ is Lord." Philippians 2:9-11 NET
• In light of the preceding, we can safely infer that the Lord was giving the Father the glory for being who he truly
is, the only true God, without this implying that the Son isn’t God also.

• Similarly, the Father himself glorifies Christ as the Creator and Lord of creation, as we saw
above in Hebrews 1:10-12, and even calls his Son God:
• "but of the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O GOD, is forever and ever, and a righteous
scepter is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated
lawlessness. SO GOD, your God, has anointed you over your companions with the
oil of rejoicing.’" Hebrews 1:8-9 NET
• The author has God the Father calling his Son God!

• Thirdly, the Apostle John, being the one who recorded Jesus' words to the
Father in John 17:3, saw no problem addressing the Lord Jesus as the true
God:
• "And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us insight to
know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus
Christ. This one is the true God and eternal life." 1 John 5:20 NET
• The term for "This one" is the Greek pronoun autos which, depending on
context, often refers back to the nearest or last person just mentioned; in this
case Jesus. (Cf. John 1:29-30, 1:40-41; 6:46, 71; 2 John 9)

• John provides evidence to support the position that Jesus is the antecedent of
the pronoun, and is therefore called the true God. The Apostle began his
epistle by calling Christ eternal life:
• "This is what we proclaim to you: what was from the beginning, what we
have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked
at and our hands have touched (concerning the word of life - and the
life was revealed, and we have seen and testify and announce to you
THE ETERNAL LIFE that was with the Father and was revealed to
us). What we have seen and heard we announce to you too, so that you
may have fellowship with us (and indeed our fellowship is with the
Father and with his Son Jesus Christ)." 1 John 1:1-3 NET

What does it mean?
• Elsewhere, the gospel of John points out that salvation comes only
through Jesus Christ (John 3:16–18, 36; 14:6). Salvation brings
"eternal life," in contrast to the eternal death of being separated
forever from God (Matthew 25:30, 41, 46). Only by faith can a person
be saved (Titus 3:5), and only by faith in Christ (Acts 4:12). John
refers to the idea of eternal life numerous times in his writing (John
6:47; 10:28; 12:25; 1 John 2:25; 5:11).

• The Greek term for "know" used here implies a deep level of intimacy.
Though we are saved only by grace through faith, not by actions
(Ephesians 2:8), saving faith is more than intellectual agreement
(James 2:19). The gospel of John routinely uses the verb form of the
Greek pisteuō, translated as "believe," in connection with this thought.
Saving faith is not passive, temporary, or mechanical. It is trusting,
active, and engaged (Hebrews 11:6; John 14:15). The connection
between God and a true believer is profound, rooted in an ever-closer
connection. Those who refuse to know God will not be saved by Him
(John 8:55–59).

• "Christ" is a title which comes through Hebrew, into Greek, and then
into English. The word means "anointed one," or "messiah." Some
writers, such as Paul, place the title first, referring to Him as "Christ
Jesus" (Romans 1:1; 1 Corinthians 1:1).

• Interestingly, there are only two places in the gospel of John where the exact phrase
"Jesus Christ" is used. The first is in the introduction (John 1:17), the other is here.
This is also the first time in John's gospel where Jesus is recorded explicitly applying
the title "Christ" to Himself. Others labelled Him that way, and Christ accepted their
words (John 4:25–26; 11:25–27). Other Gospels record Him using the title (Matthew
24:5; Mark 9:41) as well. John's restrained use of the term "Jesus Christ" forms a
set of brackets around everything leading up to Jesus fulfilling His purpose here on
earth (John 12:27–32). This is echoed in Jesus' upcoming reference to being with
God at the beginning of creation, also mentioned in the introduction (John 1:1; 17:5).

Colossians 1:15?
• COLOSSIANS 1:18—IF CHRIST IS ONLY THE FIRSTBORN IN CREATION, THEN
HOW CAN HE BE GOD?
• PROBLEM: John declared Christ to be eternal and equal with God (John
1:1; 8:58; 20:28). But here Paul seems to say that Christ was only a
(created) in the universe.
• SOLUTION: Paul clearly declares Christ to be God in this very letter by
saying He “created all things” (1:16) and has “the fullness of the Godhead”
“firstborn” does not mean He is the firstborn in creation, but the
“He is before all things” (v. 17). “Firstborn” in this context does not mean
the heir of all, the Creator and owner of all things. As Creator of “all
a created thing.

• Verse 15 begins a new section, running through verse 23, focusing on the
supremacy of Jesus. This idea of "image" is similar to the words used by John in
the opening of His gospel: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). Jesus, who is God the Son, is equal with
God the Father (John 10:30). Jesus is God in human form, the visible image of the
invisible God. The unseen God became seen, in the form of Jesus.

• The phrase "firstborn of all creation," has caused considerable controversy. Some
have attempted to interpret this to mean that Jesus was God the Father's first
creation, and afterwards everything else was created by or through Jesus. Taken
this way, Jesus would be a created being and not equal to the Father. He would
not be eternal. However, in this context, the term "firstborn" refers to supremacy, or
priority. Jesus is the greatest over all creation. He is not a created being; He is the
Creator.

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