Tom Wallace
This week we have been dealing with Christian apologetics, or giving a defense for the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3). The faith came to us through holy men of God.
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (2 Peter 1:21)
God’s Word has been preserved through the centuries so that we have the pure Word of God today.
Muslims have been taught that the Bible has been corrupted. For the last three days we have been discussing how to give a response to this claim. We learned that we can show them in the Qur’an that Allah has guarded both the Old and New Testaments from corruption. All of this information is in my book “Refuting Islam.” This book gives you the tools to refute Islam, and hopefully bring Muslims to Christ.
One thing we need to remember, if we want to bring someone to salvation, Muslim or not, we must get them into God’s Word.
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17)
When we deal with Muslims for salvation, we need to get them into the Gospels. I suggest the Gospel of John. Tell your Muslim friend that, although they believe the Bible has been corrupted, they also believe that the Gospel was given to Jesus. Let’s look at one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) and pray to the God of Abraham. (We know that the God of Abraham is Jehovah, but the Muslim thinks it is Allah.) Let’s ask Him to reveal the truth to you.
Getting the Muslim into the Word of God is important because it alone has the power to save.
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:15)
God will speak to their hearts through His Word.
The reason I recommend the Gospel of John is, it deals with one of the major problems Muslims have concerning Christianity. They deny the doctrine of the deity of Christ. This is the subject I want to deal with in the rest of this article.
I want to share with you what I believe are the best arguments to prove that Jesus is God. It works with Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, Islam, and any other ism that teaches that Jesus was not God manifest in the flesh.
Islam teaches the Jesus was just a man, a prophet, but just a man. It teaches that Christians have committed the greatest sin and blasphemy of all, shirk. This is making a man equal to God. Making a man equal with God would be blasphemy for Christians also. We do not teach that a man became God, we teach that God became a man. The eternal Word, Jesus, the Son of God, became flesh and dwelt among us.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
The Word, Jesus Christ, dwelt among us for 33 years and gave us His divine teaching. His primary purpose for becoming man was to live a perfect life which He could offer as the Lamb of God, for payment of the sins of mankind.
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away4 the sin of the world. (John 1:29)
One of the first questions those who don’t believe that Jesus is God the Son will ask is, “Show me in the Bible where Jesus says He is God.?” I want to look at five passages where Jesus clearly communicated that He is God. He communicated it so well that the Jews wanted to stone Him for blasphemy. Let me give you the references first, then we will examine them.
As a bonus in John 20:28 Thomas confesses that Jesus is his God, and Jesus says that it is good that he had believed because he had seen Him, but those who believe without seeing Him are blessed. Believed what? What Thomas had just confessed, Jesus is God.
And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. (John 20:28-29)
The reason I call Islam the antichrist religion is their denial of the deity of Christ. The difference between Islam and others who don’t accept the deity of Christ is, Islam denies the Father and the Son.
Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. (1 John 2:22)
I am going to have to stop here due to time constraints, but I will break these down next week. I will show that these passages are proof that Jesus claimed to be God manifest in the flesh.
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