Jesus in the Qur an. John E. Gore. Equipping leaders so that the Body of Christ is built up

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1 Equipping leaders so that the Body of Christ is built up Jesus in the Qur an John E. Gore Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 1

2 Jesus in the Qur an Copyright 2015, John E.Gore All rights reserved by the author who is the copyright holder. However, any person who believes that the Bible is the inspired, infallible, Word of God, may download this material free of charge and print it without alteration of any kind for the purpose of personal Bible Study and teaching others the truth of God s word; including distribution of the printed material to others. Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973,1978,1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. All quotations designated TNIV are taken from: The Holy Bible, Today's New International Version TNIV. Copyright 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of International Bible Society. Unless otherwise noted, all quotations from the Holy Qur an are taken from the Pickthal translation. All quotations from the Holy Qur an, regardless of the translation stated, are taken from: For further information, please contact. John E.Gore Leadership Development Ministries Inc. Version: 9 December

3 The Uniqueness and Superiority of Jesus. The aim of this study is to examine the New Testament and the Holy Qur an to show the uniqueness, and hence the superiority, of Jesus over Mohammed and all other religious leaders. Dear Muslim believer, the Holy Qur an commands that you read the Bible and ask us what it means. Note Surah Yunus 10:94; And if thou (Muhammad) art in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto thee, then question those who read the Scripture (that was) before thee. Verily the Truth from thy Lord hath come unto thee. So be not thou of the waverers. A. An examination of the New Testament and the Qur an to show the superiority of Jesus. The virgin birth of Jesus. Both the Qur an and New Testament confirm the virgin birth; that is, Jesus had a biological mother but he had no biological father. This makes him unique in the history of the world. Mary, Jesus biological mother, was a virgin when the Holy Spirit (New Testament) or the Spirit of Allah (Qur an) came upon her and the person of Jesus was conceived in her womb. New Testament. Luke 1:30-35; But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." 34 "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" 35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Qur an. Surah Al-E-Imran 3:45-47; (And remember) when the angels said: O Mary! Lo! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a word from him, whose name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, illustrious in the world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near (unto Allah). (45) He will speak unto mankind in his cradle and in his manhood, and he is of the righteous. (46) She said: My Lord! How can I have a child when no mortal hath touched me? He said: So (it will be). Allah createth what He will. If He decreeth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is. The fact of the Virgin Birth has many implications for our study of the person of Jesus and attests to his uniqueness and superiority over all other religious and secular leaders. Surely the Virgin Birth suggests that Jesus was more than a prophet; surely it points to something more significant for no other person in the history of the world had a biological mother but no biological father. The divine nature of Jesus. The New Testament teaches that Jesus was fully human, since he had a human biological mother, and fully God, since the divine nature of God was within him; remember there was no input from a biological father within his bodily genes. The Quran has almost identical teaching. New Testament. John 1:1; In the beginning was the Word [the divine nature of Jesus; God the Son], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This is a profound statement: the Word [Jesus] was God. John 1:18; No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known. Here the divine nature of God the One and Only [the Word, Jesus] is clearly shown. Note that Jesus is clearly referred to as God. (Refer to my ebook Jesus his Person for a more in-depth treatment of this topic.) 3

4 Qur an. Surah Al-E-Imran 3:49a; And will make him a messenger unto the Children of Israel, (saying): Lo! I come unto you with a sign from your Lord. Lo! I fashion for you out of clay the likeness of a bird, and I breathe into it and it is a bird, by Allah's leave. I heal him who was born blind, and the leper, and I raise the dead, by Allah's leave. The divine nature of Jesus is seen here for the Qur an confirms that only Allah (God) can create life. Here, Jesus creates life. Mohammed never created life. This reveals the uniqueness and superiority of Jesus over all of the great religious leaders of history; only Jesus could create life, only Jesus was fully God and fully man. Note Surah An-Nisa 4:171; O People of the Scripture! Do not exaggerate in your religion nor utter aught concerning Allah save the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of Allah, and His word which He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers, and say not "Three" - Cease! (it is) better for you! - Allah is only One God. Far is it removed from His transcendent majesty that He should have a son. His is all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. And Allah is sufficient as Defender. The key phrase here is, and a spirit from Him (Allah). (The Abdul Daryabadi, Yusif-Ali, and other translations have the same wording.) This means that the Spirit of Allah came into Mary and Jesus was conceived. Remember, Jesus didn t have a human father. The Spirit of Allah the divine nature of Jesus is what enabled him to create life. Only Allah (God) can create life; no human being, including Mohammed, can create life. If Allah didn t put his divine Spirit into Jesus, but only a human spirit, then why could Jesus create life? Creating life is only something which Allah can do. Therefore Jesus must have the divine nature of Allah within him. Jesus is fully God and fully man. One of the commentators on the Qur an argues that the Virgin Birth doesn t prove that Jesus was divine since Adam was created directly by God and didn t have a biological father. This argument is seriously flawed for Adam never had the ability to create life; something which only Allah can do. Adam was like Abraham, Moses, Mohammed, and every other person in history; none of them could create life. The fact that Jesus could create life shows that he had more than a human nature within him; he possessed both a human and a divine nature. Let me digress and make the following comments on Mark 10:18: "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone. Muslims interpret this verse to mean that Jesus didn t claim to be God. However, this is not how we should understand this verse for Jesus asked a question in order to get the rich young ruler to understand who he really was. He wanted him to think through the issues and see that he (Jesus) was more than a human teacher or prophet; he was fully God and fully man. Jesus reasoning goes like this, You call me good but only God is good so why did you call me good? However, you are right to call me good because I am God. Can you see that? If Jesus wanted to say that he wasn t God but only a man then he would have made a statement to that fact; he would not have asked a question. He would have said something like, Do not call me good for only God is good; I am only a man; but he didn t. He wanted the rich young ruler to think further about who he was. He wanted him to arrive at the conclusion that he was more than a human teacher or prophet. Jesus wanted him to understand that he was fully God and fully man; hence the question rather than a statement. The Trinity By the word Trinity ( three in One ) we mean that God is One but within this One God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is one area where Muslims totally misunderstand what Christians believe and what the Bible teaches. We emphatically believe that God is One! We do not, and I repeat DO NOT, believe in three gods, nor do we worship three Gods. We wholeheartedly maintain that God is One! We are strongly monotheistic. Note the following in the New Testament which confirms this truth: New Testament. Mark 12:29; "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: `Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 4

5 Galatians 3:20; A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one. These verses confirm that the New Testament teaches that God is one. However, within this One God we have Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each person, for want of a better word, is fully God but there is only One God. Note how Jesus named the members in the Trinity in Matthew 28:28-29: 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." The Quran also teaches the truth of the Trinity. Note the following: Qur an. Surah Qaf 50:38; And verily We created the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, in six Days, and naught of weariness touched Us. Ta-Ha 20:55, Thereof We created you, and thereunto We return you, and thence We bring you forth a second time. Note how Allah uses the plural to describe himself. This confirms the truth of the Trinity. If God is One, which he is, but is nothing more, as the Muslims teach, then why does Allah refer to himself as We, Our, and Us? If God is One, and nothing more, then he would refer to himself as I, My, and Me. These verses in the Qur an show us that while God is One, there is more than one person within God. This is why the Qur an has Allah speaking in the plural. It is the New Testament that gives us the full revelation that God is One but within this one God is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. However, the Qur an clearly confirms the plurality of persons within Allah. In Genesis 1:26 we read; Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." While the Old Testament saints didn t understand the concept of the Trinity we discover that the truth of it is taught from the beginning. Note the use of the plural - Let us and our likeness to describe how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit had a conversation among themselves to decide on the creation of the world. This is almost identical language to what we find in the Qur an. Surely the Qur an is confirming the truth of the Trinity that God is One it is not polytheism - but within God there is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I have been told that some translations of the Qur an change the plural reference to Allah into the singular because they realize that the plural in the Qur an confirms the truth of the Trinity as taught in the Bible. The Bangla translation is an example of this. I think this is deceitful. Let me comment on the following verse from the Qur an, Surah Al-Maeda 5:73; They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is the third of three; when there is no God save the One God. If they desist not from so saying a painful doom will fall on those of them who disbelieve. Note also Surah An-Nisa 4:170 (Dr Mohsin); O people of the Scripture! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, nor say of Allâh aught but the truth. The Messiah Īsā(Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), was (no more than) a Messenger of Allâh and His Word, ("Be!" - and he was) which He bestowed on Maryam (Mary) and a spirit (Rûh) created by Him; so believe in Allâh and His Messengers. Say not: "Three (trinity)!" Cease! (it is) better for you. We DO NOT believe that God is one of three gods. We believe that there is only One God we only worship One God - but within this One God is a plurality of persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Christians are strongly monotheistic. Muslims do not understand what Christians believe; they are in error regarding our belief in the Trinity; we are monotheistic and strongly believe that God is One. Furthermore, Muslims don t understand that their Qur an confirms the concept of the Trinity as detailed above. They don t appreciate that the Qur an teaches that there is a plurality of persons within Allah. 5

6 The term Son of God. Let me discuss the statement, Jesus is the Son of God. This is also something which Muslims misunderstand. Christians do not believe that God had a wife and that a son was produced in a human manner. In order to understand the term, Son of God, more fully, we need to ask the question, "Who was Jesus' father, since he was born of the virgin and had no biological father?" The only candidate seems to be God himself; since the Spirit of God/Allah came upon Mary. Therefore, if God is Jesus' father then Jesus is God's son. One former Muslim Teacher, now a Christian pastor, explains the term Son of God to Muslims this way. Jesus did not have a human father since he was born of a virgin, but he has the Spirit from Allah (the New Testament refers to this as the divine nature); so if God is not Jesus father then who is? Surely, it has to be God. Therefore, if God is Jesus father then Jesus has to be God s Son. The sinless of Jesus The New Testament teaches that Jesus never sinned. In this regard he is also unique and superior to all other humans. I have been told by former Muslim teachers that the Qur an never mentions any sin which Jesus committed. The Qur an supports the sinlessness of Jesus by its silence. It does teach that Mohammed sinned. New Testament. 1 Peter 2:22-24; "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." Qur an. Surah Muhammad 47:19; So know (O Muhammad) that there is no God save Allah, and ask forgiveness for thy sin and for believing men and believing women. Allah knoweth (both) your place of turmoil and your place of rest. Jesus, the perfect sacrifice for sin. Throughout the Scriptures we find that God required the sacrifice of a perfect animal to deal with the sin of his people. One of the crucial events in the history of Israel was their deliverance from slavery in Egypt during the time of Pharaoh. The Passover was crucial to this and preceded this event. Note the instructions which God gave to Moses. Exodus 12:3-7,11-13; Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. 4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. 5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. 7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. 11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD's Passover. 12 "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn--both men and animals--and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. There are many significant points here. Firstly, the lamb had to be perfect; no defect of any kind was permissible. The lamb had to be killed. Some, but not all, of the blood had to be applied to the doorframes. 6

7 The people had to be ready to leave their old life of slavery and follow God into a new way of living. Failure to apply the blood of the lamb in an appropriate manner resulted in the wrath of God and the death for the first born male. The New Testament understands the Passover as an event which points forward to the Perfect Lamb of God (Jesus) who would be the ultimate sacrifice for sin and whose death would provide us with forgiveness of sin and deliverance from the wrath of God. Note the following: John the Baptist recognized Jesus as the perfect fulfilment of the Passover lamb. John 1:29; The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! The apostle Paul states the same truth in 1 Corinthians 5:7; For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 1 Peter 1:19 carries the same theme; For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. Romans 5:9 tells us that it is the death of Jesus (his blood) which will save us from God s wrath if we turn to Jesus and put our faith in Him; Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! The sinlessness of Jesus shows that he is the only person qualified to die for the sin of the world for he is the only Lamb without blemish or defect. Jesus died for our sin and was raised from the dead. Interestingly, both the New Testament and the Qur an mention that Jesus died and that he rose again from the dead. Let me start by examining the New Testament and then show that the Qur an supports this teaching. As I noted above, one of the main themes running through the Scriptures is that sin is so serious that it requires the shedding of blood. The New Testament summarizes it well in Hebrews 9:22; In fact, the law [Law of Moses] requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. However, the death of an animal was not effective in obtaining forgiveness; it could only point forward to the necessity of a greater sacrifice. Note Hebrews 10:1-4; The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming--not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, 4 because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Note Hebrews 9:27-28; Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. This shows that Jesus Christ was the once for all sacrifice to take away sin and to give salvation to those who put their faith in him. His death was able to achieve what the sacrifice of animals could not. In Mark 10:45, Jesus said that the reason he came to earth was to die for our sins; For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." A ransom was the price paid to free a slave. We are slaves of sin and Jesus death paid that price so that we can be forgiven and freed. The truth and importance of Jesus death is throughout the New Testament. Note 1 Peter 3:4; For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. 7

8 However, the death of Jesus would not be complete unless he rose from the death with a new resurrection body. His resurrection from the dead shows that his death was effective; he was the Perfect Lamb whose blood (death on the cross) provided the way where we can be delivered from the wrath of God and be forgiven of our sin. His resurrection proved that he has victory over death and hell. These two truths are at the very heart of the Christian message. Note 1 Corinthians 15:3-5; For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. Furthermore, his death was not only a sacrifice for sin but one which defeated Satan and the forces of evil. Refer Colossians 2:15; And having disarmed the powers and authorities [Satan and his evil demons], he [Jesus] made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. However, the Qur an also teaches the death and resurrection of Jesus. Note Surah Maryam 19:33-34; Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive! (33) Such was Jesus, son of Mary: (this is) a statement of the truth concerning which they doubt. Jesus can only be raised alive if he did in fact die, as this verse says. I know that the Qur an states in Surah An-Nisa 4:157 that Jesus didn t die but this contradicts the above which clearly states that he did die and that he was raised alive. Jesus was taken up into heaven. After his death and resurrection, Jesus was taken up into heaven. New Testament. Acts 1:9-11; After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." Qur an. Surah An-Nisa 4:158; But Allâh raised him ['Īsā (Jesus)] up (with his body and soul) unto Himself (and he A.S. is in the heavens). And Allâh is Ever All-Powerful, All-Wise. (Dr. Mohsin version.) I have used this translation to show that Islamic scholars believe that Jesus was taken up into heaven in bodily form. Surah Al-E-Imran 3:55; (And remember) when Allah said: O Jesus! Lo! I am gathering thee and causing thee to ascend unto Me, and am cleansing thee of those who disbelieve and am setting those who follow thee above those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then unto Me ye will (all) return, and I shall judge between you as to that wherein ye used to differ. Jesus is currently alive One of the great truths of Christianity is that we worship and serve a living Saviour; Jesus is alive with his immortal body. All other great religious leaders, including Mohammed, have died and have not been resurrected. Jesus resurrection body is imperishable and immortal; that is, it cannot die. Furthermore, it is different in other ways to his previous earthly body in that it can appear in a room when all the doors were locked. However, it can be touched and it can drink and eat food (Refer Luke 24:42; Acts 10:41). New Testament. John 20:19-20, 27; On the evening of that first day of the week- [the Sunday immediately after Jesus was crucified] - when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw 8

9 the Lord 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." Revelation 1:17-18; When I saw him [Jesus], I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Not only is Jesus alive but he has gained authority over death. Qur an. Surah Maryam 19:33; Peace on me [Jesus] the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive! The Qur an confirms that Jesus died, was raised from the dead, and is therefore presently alive. Qur an. Surah An-Nisa 4:158; But Allâh raised him ['Īsā (Jesus)] up (with his body and soul) unto Himself (and he A.S. is in the heavens). And Allâh is Ever All-Powerful, All-Wise. (Dr. Mohsin.) Jesus will return to earth. He is the sign of the future Day of Resurrection. The New Testament teaches that Christ will return to earth at the end of this present age and raise the believers from the dead so that their old mortal bodies are transformed into immortal bodies which will never die. New Testament. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Philippians 3:21; But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. The Qur an also teaches that Jesus will return to earth in his resurrection body. Refer Surah Az- Zukhruf 43:61; And lo! verily there is knowledge of the Hour. So doubt ye not concerning it, but follow Me. This is the right path. The Dr. Mohsin translation reads: And he ['Īsā (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)] shall be a known sign for (the coming of) the Hour (Day of Resurrection) [i.e. 'Īsā's (Jesus) descent on the earth][]. Therefore have no doubt concerning it (i.e. the Day of Resurrection). And follow Me (Allâh) (i.e. be obedient to Allâh and do what He orders you to do, O mankind)! This is the Straight Path (of Islâmic Monotheism, leading to Allâh and to His Paradise). I added the verse from the Dr Mohsin version since this makes it clear that the hour and it both refer to the return of Jesus and the Day of Resurrection. Jesus performed miracles. During his time on earth, Jesus had the power and authority to cast out demons, heal the sick, and control the physical world. Mohammed never performed any of these miracles. New Testament. Matthew 4:23-24; Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Matthew 8:24-27; Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" 26 He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" 9

10 Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. 27 The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!" Qur an. Surah Al-E-Imran 3:49; And will make him [Jesus] a messenger unto the Children of Israel, (saying): Lo! I come unto you with a sign from your Lord. Lo! I fashion for you out of clay the likeness of a bird, and I breathe into it and it is a bird, by Allah's leave. I heal him who was born blind, and the leper, and I raise the dead, by Allah's leave. And I announce unto you what ye eat and what ye store up in your houses. Lo! herein verily is a portent for you, if ye are to be believers. Note Surah Al-Ankaboot 29:50; which is referring to Mohammed: And they say: Why are not portents sent down upon him from his Lord? Say: Portents are with Allah only, and I am but a plain warner. I like the Mufti Taqi Usmani translation because it makes it clear that the signs are miracles: And they say, Why is it that no signs (miracles) have been sent down to him from his Lord? Say, Signs are only with Allah, and I am only a plain warner. Mohammed s critics were obviously asking why he didn t perform miracles. His response is to say that he is only a warner (one who warns people) and the miracles, signs and wonders, are with Allah. Interestingly Jesus performed miracles which showed his superiority over Mohammed and probably his divinity; if the miracles are with Allah. The New Testament shows that believers in Jesus also have authority to pray for healing but they can only do it by using the name of Jesus. They have no authority in themselves to perform miracles; it is only the power of the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus that enables them to do this. For example, refer Acts 3:16; By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see. God will make those who follow Jesus superior Qur an. Surah Al-E-Imran 3:55; (And remember) when Allah said: O Jesus! Lo! I am gathering thee and causing thee to ascend unto Me, and am cleansing thee of those who disbelieve and am setting those who follow thee above those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then unto Me ye will (all) return, and I shall judge between you as to that wherein ye used to differ. This clearly states that God will make the followers of Jesus (Christians) superior to others. Remember, Christians are monotheistic; they believe that God is One. A former Muslim teacher, now Christian pastor, told me that there is no promise in the Qur an to make the followers of Mohammed superior to those who follow Jesus. The King Fahd translation and commentary on The Noble Qur an claims that Muslims are the true followers of Jesus but surely, the followers of Jesus are those who obey his teaching as historically and accurately recorded for us in the New Testament. Everyone is to obey Jesus. The clear command in both the New Testament and the Qur an is to obey Jesus. New Testament. John 14:23; Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Qur an. Surah Al-E-Imran 3:50; And (I come) [Jesus] confirming that which was before me of the Torah, and to make lawful some of that which was forbidden unto you. I come unto you with a sign from your Lord, so keep your duty to Allah and obey me. This command to obey Jesus is repeated in Surah Az-Zukhruf 43:63; When Jesus came with clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty), he said: I have come unto you with wisdom, and to make plain some of that concerning which ye differ. So keep your duty to Allah, and obey me. 10

11 Muslims are to read the New Testament and to ask Christians about the truth of Jesus. Qur an. Surah Yunus 10:94; And if thou (Muhammad) art in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto thee, then question those who read the Scripture (that was) before thee. Verily the Truth from thy Lord hath come unto thee. So be not thou of the waverers. I first came upon this verse when I was listening to the testimony of a former Muslim Imam who was relating how he came to know Jesus and was born again. He said that he became interested in the person and nature of Jesus while he was pursuing his Islamic studies a story that I have heard from other former Imams who turned to Jesus and eventually became Christian pastors. This man said that he didn t want to betray his Islamic upbringing so he asked Allah to give him a sign about the truth of Jesus. He then picked up the Qur an and opened it and his eyes immediately fell on Surah Yunus 10:94. He said that this is a command to read the Bible - especially the New Testament since this is the section which deals with Jesus and to ask believers in Jesus for its meaning. I do pray, dear Muslim believer, that you will follow the command in this verse of the Qur an and read the New Testament and ask us what it means. B. How to become a true follower of Jesus and receive eternal life. A description of a true follower of Jesus I believe that the true follower of Jesus is someone who has been spiritually born again so that they have the Spirit of God within them and have come into a close personal relationship with God the Father because of faith in Jesus. (Let me also say that Christ is another name for Jesus. I will use both terms.) Before I elaborate on what the New Testament teaches let me say that I will sometimes use the term The Way to describe believers in Jesus. I am aware that the name Christian has many negative connotations because of events in history. However, while the early church used the phrase The Way to describe themselves, the word Christian was first used by their opponents in Antioch around AD 44. This is the description which has lasted down through the centuries so I will use the word from time to time. Note the following verses from the New Testament which give us a great description of a believer in Jesus; a follower of The Way. 1. A follower of The Way, a true Christian, is someone who has been born again spiritually; that is, he or she now has spiritual life. Note John 3:3-7; In reply [to an earlier statement from Nicodemus, the Jewish religious leader,] Jesus declared, I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. 4 How can a man be born when he is old? Nicodemus asked. Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born 5 Jesus answered, I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, You must be born again. Just as a person who is born physically has human life and human parents, so someone who is born again spiritually has spiritual life and has God as his or her Father. A believer in Jesus is more than someone who believes in certain doctrine or tries to follow a certain way of life. A true Christian is someone who has been born again; they have the Spirit of God within them and this enables them to share in the life of the risen Jesus. 11

12 In John 15:5 Jesus illustrates this truth again by referring to himself as the wine and those who believe in him as the branches: I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit [spiritual results]. Just as the physical branch of a grape wine shares in the life and vitality of the vine itself, so the believer in Jesus shares in his life. Being a follower of The Way, is not primarily following a given set of rules or doing certain religious acts; on the contrary, a follower of Jesus is someone who shares in the life of the risen, victorious Christ. This is why it is life to the full. 2. A follower of The Way, a true Christian, is someone who has been adopted into God s family as a legal son or daughter. God is now their Father. When we are born physically we become children of our parents but when we are born again by the Spirit of God we become children of God and can call God, Father. Note what Paul wrote in Romans 8:15-17: For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. The meaning behind the word sonship in verse 15 is adoption. The adopted son in the Roman or Greek family received the full rights and privileges of sonship, the same as if he was born into the family. The idea behind the cry, Abba, Father, points to love and intimacy and is not unlike the way a little child uses the English word, Daddy. The concept of adoption was a very positive one in the Roman and Greek world of the time. Morris, an Australian theologian, writes the following, It is a useful word for Paul, for it signifies being granted the full rights and privileges of sonship in a family to which one does not belong by nature The believer is admitted to the heavenly family, to which he has no rights of his own, but he is now admitted and can call God Father. 1 How to be born again and become a son or daughter or God. I believe that the best description of how we can be born again and become a follower of Jesus is found in the second chapter of Paul s letter to the Ephesians verses 1 to 10 (TNIV): 1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Note the following from the above passage: 1. Dead in transgressions and sins. Paul describes the situation of a person who is not born again as being dead in our transgressions and sins. This concept of death means that we are cut off from God. We do not have spiritual life which is the life of Jesus and therefore we do not have a personal relationship with him. The concept of death conveys the idea of barrenness; something is missing. Experience shows that acquiring more and more material possessions, or slavishly following the demands of a religion, do 1 Morris, Romans,

13 not bring lasting satisfaction or deep seated peace. This only comes when we are born again spiritually and have the life of Jesus within us. 2. Satan is at work in those who are disobedient and has blinded them to the truth. Verse 2 tells us that Satan is at work in those who are disobedient. This doesn t mean that they are necessarily demon possessed but it does mean that they are affected by Satan. Paul tells us elsewhere in 2 Corinthians 4:4 that Satan has blinded the eyes of the unbeliever so that he or she can t see the truth. This helps to explain why people often don t think that godliness is fulfilling but want to gratify the cravings of their sinful nature (verse 3). It helps explain why they will not turn to God even when their life is in a mess or why they blame God when some tragedy happens. 3. Alive with Christ. Verses 4 and 5 describe the essence of being a following of The Way, a Christian. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. A Christian is someone who is now spiritually alive in Christ (Jesus). Previously they were dead and cut off from God but now they are alive because they have been placed into Jesus and have his life within them. Note how Paul parallels made us alive with you have been saved in verse 6. Being saved is the same as being made alive. Being saved means we are placed into Jesus and receive his life. The apostle John describes this as crossing from death to life; "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life (John 5:24). This is why the Christian life should be one of intimacy and power. It is also why Pau could also confidently write in Romans 8:1-3: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. The true follower of The Way, the true Christian, is someone who is also freed from condemnation and will not experience the wrath of God. 4. We are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms. Verse 6 tells us that we who believe in Jesus are actually seated with him in the heavenly realms. While we live here on planet earth in the twenty-first century there is a spiritual part of us that is seated with Christ (Jesus) at the right hand of the Father. To be seated at someone s right hand was seen as a position of honour and authority when the New Testament was written. This is why we have the authority and power to command demons to leave and to heal the sick in the name of Jesus; we are seated with him in the heavenly realms. We are not in a position of weakness but in a position of strength and authority. 5. Verses 8 and 9 describe how we are put into Jesus. Verses 8 and 9 beautifully describe how we are placed into Christ and receive eternal life, which is the life of Jesus. These verses read; For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- -and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. Note the following: We are saved by grace. Grace is God s unmerited favour; God showers his grace upon us because he loves us (2:4) and because he is rich in mercy and not because we deserve it (2:4). In fact, we can never earn nor deserve our salvation; it is something that God gives us because of his grace. We often have great difficulty understanding grace because we want to think that we can make ourselves acceptable to 13

14 God by our actions, but this is impossible. As Paul wrote in verse 9, not by works, so that no one can boast. It is a gift. Salvation is something that God gives us because he loves us and not because we have earned it or deserved it. God delights to give people salvation. Verse 8 says, this not from yourself, it is the gift of God. This means that there is nothing that we can do to earn salvation. Note that salvation is not only a gift from God but it is the gift of God. When we get salvation we get God; that is, we are placed into Christ, who is also fully God, and receive his life. It is not something that we earn by works. If we earned salvation by our good works then it would cease to be a gift but be wages; something we deserve because of our actions. By works I mean that we don t have to do a certain number of good deeds in our community or reach a certain level of morality before God will accept us; nor do we have to perform various religious activities such as church attendance, baptism, or giving money to the poor, to earn God s approval. I find the teaching of James very helpful in understanding why it is impossible to be saved by good works. In James 2:1-4, James refers to people who sin by showing favouritism to the rich over the poor. He then goes on to say; But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. Note verse 10 well! If we keep the whole Law of God (say 99.99% of it) but break it in one point, we are guilty of breaking all of it. We are not just guilty of breaking 0.01% of it but 100 per cent of it. Such a person is as guilty in God s eyes as the one who commits adultery, or who murders someone, or who is continually drunk and abusive. Let me illustrate this. If a person is hanging over a deep gorge at the end of a chain with 100 links and one link breaks, he doesn't congratulate himself that the majority of them remained intact. No, the breaking of one link has the same consequences as if all the links break; he will crash onto the rocks below and be killed. If one breaks, it is as if they had all broken. The same principle applies to us in regard to our salvation. If we break any one of God's commands at any time and James uses the sin of showing favouritism to the rich over the poor - we are as guilty as if we had broken all of them. This teaching tells me that there is no such thing as a degree of guilt; that is, I can never be only 25% guilty of breaking God s laws. We are either 100% innocent, and Jesus is the only person who falls into this category for he is the only one who never sinned, or we are 100% guilty because we have broken one or more of God s laws at some time. It doesn t matter how good we are; the moment we commit one sin we are 100 per cent guilty of breaking ALL of God s Laws. This is why it is impossible to be saved by good works. It is accepted by faith: (belief, trust) The problem with the English words believe and faith is that they are often used in a way that is different to their biblical meaning. Trust is probably a better English translation of the Greek word than believe, for to trust someone requires a commitment to that person or thing. It is something that affects the outcome of our life. When Paul writes, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, he is referring to the point in time when we turn to God and put our trust in Jesus to save us; relying on what he has done for us when he died on the cross to deal with the problem of our sin, rather than relying on our own efforts. 6. Salvation must result in good works. Verse 10 tells us that we are God s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do. We are not saved because of good works but if our 14

15 salvation is genuine then it must result in good works. Good works are the evidence of our salvation; or to put it another way, works are not the cause of our salvation but the evidence of our salvation. People often struggle with the connection between faith and works. Let me illustrate the relationship between the two by looking at what happens when two people fall in love. We don t earn falling in love, it just happens; like a gift between two people. However, when a man suddenly finds himself in love with a woman he will automatically change his behaviour to please her. You can see the genuineness of his love by looking at how he acts. If he is truly in love he will want to do things that make her happy and he will change his behaviour in order to do that. If there is no difference in how he behaves then you would have to doubt that he is truly in love. The same applies to us in our relationship with God. We don t do good works to earn God s forgiveness but we change our lifestyle as an expression of our love for God. It is this change in behaviour which shows the genuineness of our faith. 7. Faith includes repentance. In Acts 20:21 Paul gave this succinct summary of the Christian message; I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. The Greek word for repentance ( metanoeo ) means to change one s mind. It is similar to the Hebrew word for "turn." We see these ideas coming together in Acts 3:19 where Peter told the crowd to repent and turn to God. There is a definite connection between faith and repentance for if we have genuine faith then we must change our mind about God and want to please him. Repentance doesn t mean that we make ourselves perfect before God will welcome us, nor does it mean that we have to make ourselves acceptable before we can come to God. On the contrary, God accepts us as we are, but we have to be willing to change our mind and then our lifestyle so that we live in a way that pleases our heavenly Father. If we have no intention of changing how we live in order to please our Heavenly Father, then we can t possibly have faith. At the most, it is only an intellectual belief in Jesus and what he can do. Will we sin after we are saved? Of course we will, for no one is perfect, but the key factor is, Do you want to live in a manner that pleases God? A Prayer of commitment. If you want to become a believer in Jesus, a true Christian - someone whose sin has been forgiven and who is born again by God s Spirit may I suggest that you say the following prayer in all sincerity. Heavenly Father, I thank you that I can come into your presence because of Jesus. I thank you that you love me and that Jesus died and suffered for my sin so that I can be adopted into your family. I now repent and turn from anything in my old life that does not please you. I now put my trust in Jesus and what he did for me in his death and resurrection. I now declare that I want to love you and life a life which pleases you. I ask that you will give me eternal life and fill me with your Holy Spirit. I thank you in Jesus name. Amen. The Next Step. You now need to find a church where you can belong and be baptised. Unfortunately, some churches, especially in the Western World, have deviated from the teaching of the Bible. Make sure that any church you choose believes in the following basic truths. God is One but within this one God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; that is, the Trinity. Jesus is fully man and fully God. We are saved by faith in Jesus and not by good works or religious activities of any kind. It is the faith and repentance of the individual that leads to salvation and not the faith of the church or any other individual. 15