The Father and the Son
“The Jews call 'Uzair a son of Allah, and the Christians call Christ the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say. Allah's curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth!” (Sura 9:30)
Jesus told us to pray 'Our Father who is in heaven' Can a Muslim pray this prayer with his heart? According to Islam not only is there no Son, but God is not Father. Did Jesus tell us the truth?
Jesus said to his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus' response was, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. Jesus attributes this revelation to God, to God-- not to man.
The son of the father can take on a similar meaning found in their own Qur'an. Muhammad had an uncle whose name was Abdul Uza, but in the Qur'an he is called Abu Lahab - the father of a flame. This does not mean that he gave birth to a flame? (Qur'an Sura 111:1) Excuse me if any Arabic is not said right.
A wayfarer is called, Ibn as-sabeel - son of the road. This does not mean that the road has a wife and conceived a road even to a Muslim. (Qur'an Sura 2:177). Just as the Bible teaches God is the Father of lights, he did not beget light.
Om ul-Kitab - means the mother of the book (Qur'an Sura 3:7; 13:39; 43:3). This does not mean she gave birth to the book. We want Muslims to understand what “son of” actually means in the Bible. It does not mean an offspring or in having sex with God. Son of God is used in a spiritual sense implying a unique relationship with God that no one else has. We call him the Son of God because the Bible states he is the Son of God, Jesus said He is the Son. To say he is not the Son of God when God says he is to deny God’s revelation! If this has Christ's own approval would it not be prudent to determine what He meant by this?
The Bible does use both Son and Father in a spiritual manner in Hebrew. God is called Abi-Ad the[bless and do not curse]Father ofeternity. Among the ancient Hebrews the term[bless and do not curse]Father of, was always used to indicate Him who possessed the thing that followed.[bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse]God the Father is called the[bless and do not curse]Father of[bless and do not curse]Spirits (Heb.12:9) and the[bless and do not curse]Father of[bless and do not curse]lights (James.1:17).[bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse]This again does not mean a literal begetting of light or Spirits. It shows God being the source of life as the Father of Spirits, the Father of lights means He is the source of the moon, the sun and stars.[bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse]
The Old Testament has said in Malachi 2:10 “Have we not[bless and do not curse]all one Father? Has not[bless and do not curse]one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously with one another by profaning the covenant of the fathers?
Malachi 1:6 “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My reverence? Says the LORD of hosts to you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, 'In what way have we despised Your name?”
God's Word is God Himself; he is not a second God. Muslims believe, God is all-powerful, there is nothing he cannot do. So God can certainly become a human being like us if he wanted to, can He not? The Qur'an does imply that Allah can appear in other forms, Sura 53:2-18, 81:19-24, so cannot God can take the form of man even temporarily?
Jn.1:1 “and the Word was God” Mt.1:23 says[bless and do not curse]His name[bless and do not curse]will be called Immanuel (with us is[bless and do not curse]God) the fulfillment of Isa.7:14. Luke 1:35 states, He will be called “The Son of God.” Mark begins his Gospel under Peters direction by saying, "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ,[bless and do not curse]the Son of God." (Mark 1:1)
The Bible says,“do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said,[bless and do not curse]'I am the Son of God'?” (John 10:36)“for He said,[bless and do not curse]‘I am the Son of God.” (Matthew 27:43).
Consider that the[bless and do not curse]Qur’an says, “In blasphemy indeed are those that say that God is Christ the son of Mary” (Sura 5:17) or Sura 10:68-70[bless and do not curse]They say: “God hath begotten a son!” “Those who invent a lie against God will never prosper.”
The Bible says, “but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,[bless and do not curse]the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31).
Paul a Jew was converted by seeing the risen Christ on the road as he was going to kill Christians for following Jesus the Messiah. After his conversion “Immediately he preached the Christ (Messiah) in the synagogues, that He is[bless and do not curse]the Son of God.” (Acts 9:20).
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of[bless and do not curse]the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth”[bless and do not curse](John 1:14) The eternal nature and purpose of Christ is challenged by Islam.
For even God who is the Father said, “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.” (John 3:35)
“For[bless and do not curse]the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.” (John 5:20);
Jesus said “As[bless and do not curse]the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love” (John 15:9-10)
For God so loved the world,[bless and do not curse]that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life”[bless and do not curse](John 3:16) The essence of the Gospel is denied without a Son of God.
The Qur’an says, “In blasphemy indeed are those that say that God is Christ the son of Mary” (Sura 5:17)
Is it? We have the evidence from Scriptural manuscripts that are close to the originals, and those that predate the apostles. Along with this Jesus saying God does indeed call another His ONLY Son. Not an offspring but a term of relationship.
It was the same apostle John who taught Jesus was the son and was eternal that also said; we should keep ourselves from idols (1 John 5:21). This would be a calculated contradiction if Jesus being the Son was worshipped by the apostles and were a mere human, that would be an idol, as only God is to be worshipped.
1 Jn.4:15 “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is THE SON OF GOD, God dwelleth in him and he in God.” Here is the difference of religion to relationship. John who knew Jesus personally explains that God who is able to do all things, where nothing is impossible with God took up residence by his spirit in those who believe in Jesus as the Bible teaches.
Paul the apostle says in Galatians 4:6 “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” V:7 “Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” We have a relationship change when one believes in Christ as God’s only son, we are not slaves any longer but friends and will inherit what God has for us. No slave enjoyed what his master owned. We know this by God’s word and by experience. Psalm 89:26 “He shall cry to Me, 'You are my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.”
This all takes place because of the Injil (the Gospel of the apostles and Christ) by Jesus’ death for sin he has shown the invisible God’s love. Col. 1:13-14 “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
God prophesying through the prophet Zechariah Zech. 12:10 “And I will pour on the house of David and[bless and do not curse]on the inhabitants of Jerusalem[bless and do not curse]the Spirit of grace and supplication; then[bless and do not curse]they will look on Me whom they have pierced; they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”
You may not want to accept this, at least not now. But the point being made here is that this is the revelation of Jesus to the apostles and God can surely watch over his word. As He said not one jot or tittle are to be changed. God has always been the same and His word is proof, as it never changes and God does not lie. If Muslims and other religions would look at the history of the Bible and see the evidence of it not being corrupted, they may not speak so loosely about the prophets they are supposed to esteem.