A question about communication with God from a former Muslim

Hazelelponi said:

Good morning! I pray your having a wonderful day and your family well. I will make this a longer post to answer the points that you might want to understand better. I am trying to be complete in my explanation.

First I would ask if you listened to the video I posted above about the Incarnation? Did you have the opportunity to listen and could you understand the Pastors speaking?

To speak on the topic I believe you want to speak of:

The Qur'an is a book which came after the Holy Scriptures, by about 600 years after the resurrection - as we already know.

By that time Christianity was fairly widespread in much of the region. Various Christians believers were trading and various other activities like sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ as they went about their lives.

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The above in dark blue is what was mainly Christian in the region by 325 AD. And the light blue is what was mainly Christian by 600 AD.

The argument made in the Qur'an is that Jesus was a Spirit from God rather than the Spirit of God. Not the Incarnation of God.

This is, to Christians, a horrible blasphemy against our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. (We do not get upset for this but rather choose to correct any misunderstanding in love.)

In order to determine the matter we can look at both Scripture itself and the Prophets.

We believe the Bible (all the Books of the Bible) is a reliable collection of historical documents written by eye witnesses during the lifetime of other eye witnesses. They report supernatural events which occurred in fulfillment of specific prophecies and who claim their writings are Divine in nature rather than of human origin.

In 2 Peter 1:16-22 it is written:

"For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.

And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention has to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed."

Words such as this were repeated in front of many large crowds, during a time there were still hundreds of living eye witnesses of Christ's life, death and resurrection.

Anyone in the crowds back then, had the opportunity to ask other eye witnesses for confirmation of these events, which of course many did.

Luke from the Gospels was a physician and an historian who was tasked to do just that, go to speak with the disciples and others about what they had seen and heard in order to know the truth accurately. The Book of Luke is recorded in the Bible.

Luke 1:1-4

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

The Bible itself, though written by over 40 people from multiple cultures across the span of 1500 years and tells one singular story from beginning to end.

And the story it tells is wholly complete. Nothing can be added to it without destroying the story that Scripture is telling us.

And the story it tells rests on the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. He is the Cornerstone holding it altogether, for He is Lord, Savior, High Priest and King. During His first advent He was God incarnate, come to save humanity.


We have a division in the Bible, the first portion is called the Old Testament, and the Second portion is called the New Testament.

The word Testament here can also be translated as Covenant.

It's a legal term denoting the two main Covenants - legal agreements - God made with His people thoughout time.

In order to bring forth the Messiah God chose the Hebrews through Abraham. He chose the Hebrews because they were lowly and weak, the least among us, in order to show a picture to the world of ourselves, and also to show His Power and Glory.

But for the Praise of His Glory He raised them up to bring forth the Messiah, one like us who could connect with our pain, in our humanity, but whom, like God, could do what we could not and live in perfect accordance with the law, in order to free us from the bondage of sin, and pay the price for our sin in our stead, being both the Just, and the Justifier.

The old Covenant in which the Messianic law was added for their sin, was to teach us that we all fall short of His perfect Righteousness; that apart from Him we can do nothing good.

The law of God requires perfect righteousness in act, attitude and nature. I earlier added an attachment in this thread in which sin was thereby defined and explained so I won't expound upon that further.

Christ's life, death and subsequent resurrection lived that life and died that death for us that we could not live, in order to draw ALL the kinds of men (Jew and Gentile alike, all the nations) Jesus Christ brings us into the New Covenant now. He cut them off, to bring us in, equally. His resurrection from the dead proves all is accomplished.

There was something called a dividing wall in the Jewish Temple that separated the Jews from the Gentiles.

In real life, Jesus is the tearing down of that wall of separation. It's the wall that separates Jew from Gentile first, and Jesus also represents the rending or tearing of the veil that separates man from God. He becomes for us all, reconciliation in and under the New Covenant.

The Jews were cut off from the Old Covenant upon Jesus' Death, and the New Covenant in Christ was inaugurated on the day of Pentacost, in which all people - Jew and Gentiles alike, were invited into the New Covenant from that day forward as brothers. (Christ is seen here in His humanity shown to us as our joined elder brother, we are adopted as sons, equal before God, brothers in covenant when we believe in Jesus, who is the only Door. Our inheritance is salvation, and glorification with Christ in Heaven for eternity.)

When Jesus says I am the Way, The Truth, and The Life, no one comes to the Father but through Me...

He is the door we go through, all of us, to know God.

The entire Bible, from Beginning to End, tells of Him. Everything from Genesis 1:1 to the last word in the book of Revelation is the Revelation of God, the 1 Triune God, through the Person and Work of Christ and His Holy Spirit.

The Bible tells us about the New Covenant from the Prophet Jeremiah 31:33-34.

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.

And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

This has been the Covenant everyone who calls themselves Christian lives under for the last 2000 years. The New Testament explains the New Covenant.

You enter into the Covenant when you believe on Christ for salvation, as shown us in Scripture:

Romans 10:9-10: "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved".

Acts 16:30, 31: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved".

John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life"

I pray this wasn't too long and I do hope I properly understood what your question was. It took me 35 minutes to edit, so if you read in email then it's slightly different, I tried being more clear.

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JesusFollowerForever said:

Hello again Johan, I write to you to clarify your question about having access to GOD without a mediator I hope I wrote it clearly, let me know if you have further questions;

Under the Old Covenant, Moses acted as the mediator between God and the people of Israel. God gave His laws, including the Ten Commandments, through Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 20:18-21, Deuteronomy 5:5). The people were afraid to approach God directly because of His glory and holiness, so they asked Moses to speak to God on their behalf.

This separation from God’s presence was further emphasized in the structure of the temple or tabernacle. In the temple, there was a veil (a thick curtain) that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (also known as the Holy of Holies). The Most Holy Place represented the very presence of God, and no one could enter it except the high priest, and even he could only enter once a year on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:2, Hebrews 9:7). This veil was a constant reminder that access to God’s presence was restricted under the Old Covenant because of sin.

However, when Jesus came and died for the sins of the world, everything changed. Jesus became the new and perfect mediator of the New Covenant, offering Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for sin, making direct access to God possible. In Matthew 27:50-51 (NKJV), it is written: “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split.”

The tearing of the temple veil is extremely significant. It was not torn by human hands but from top to bottom, signifying that God Himself had removed the barrier that separated humanity from His presence. Through Jesus’ sacrifice, the way into God’s presence was opened for all people, not just the high priest or a chosen mediator like Moses.

This truth is explained in Hebrews 10:19-22 (NKJV): “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

Jesus’ death and His role as mediator provide us with direct access to God. We no longer need an earthly priest or mediator like Moses because Jesus Himself is our High Priest. He intercedes for us in the presence of God. In 1 Timothy 2:5 (NKJV), it says: “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.” Jesus, being fully God and fully man, bridges the gap between sinful humanity and a holy God.

Under the New Covenant, believers have the privilege of direct communion with God through Jesus. This was something the people of Israel did not have under the Old Covenant because their sins had not yet been fully atoned for. Now, through Jesus’ sacrifice, we are cleansed, forgiven, and invited to come boldly before God’s throne. As it says in Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV): “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

To summarize, under the Old Covenant, Moses served as a mediator, and access to God was limited. The temple veil symbolized this separation. When Jesus died, the veil was torn, signifying that the barrier between God and humanity was removed. Jesus is now the mediator of the New Covenant, and through Him, we have direct access to God. His sacrifice opened the way for all who believe in Him to draw near to God with confidence and assurance.

Blessings.

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Aaron112 said:

Truth to us (as infants all our lives)....

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