World Blog by humble servant.Republish 1. Misconceptions of Jesus as Savior.PART 1: Proving Jesus is NOT God.PART 2: Proving Jesus is NOT the Savior.Part 3 The Third Jesus..

Misconceptions of Jesus as Savior

In God we trust and God willing this article shall help many to find the truth for those honest to seek it.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." (Jesus in Matthew 7:7 )

PART 1:

Proving Jesus is NOT God

How do we show that Jesus is not the Savior? First we show that he is not God. Consider the following verses in the Bible...

God - Omnipotent ( All Powerful )

Matthew 19:26  Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Revelation 19:6  And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!"

Jesus - NOT Omnipotent

John 5:19  Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the son also does in like manner."

John 5:30  (Jesus said) "I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is righteous, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the Father who sent me."

John 8:28  So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the son of man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me."

If Jesus is God then...

God is Omnipotent while simultaneously not Omnipotent.

Further he said he does NOT seek his own will, so whose will does he seek?

Well he said God's will, which would be himself, therefore he DOES seek his own will, or does he?

God - Omniscient ( All Knowing )

Psalm 147:5  Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.

Jesus - NOT Omniscient

Matthew 24:36  "But of that day and hour (Day of Judgment) no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the son, but the Father alone."

John 8:28  So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the son of man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me."

Luke 2:52  And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

If Jesus is God then...

God is Omniscient while simultaneously not Omniscient.

Further how can Jesus increase in wisdom if his understanding is infinite? He would have to surpass All-Knowing thus becoming more than All-KnowingGod - NOT a man and NOT the son of man

Numbers 23:19  God is not a man, that He should tell or act a lie, neither the son of man, that He should feel repentance or compunction. Has He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good?

Hosea 11:9  I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim. For I am God, and not man— the Holy One among you. I will not come in wrath.

Jesus - a man and the son of man

Acts 2:22  "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know."

Luke 9:58  Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has no place to lay his head."

If Jesus is God then...

God is NOT a man while simultaneously is a man and...

God is NOT the son of man while simultaneously is the son of man.

God can NOT be tempted

James 1:13  When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.

Jesus WAS tempted

Matthew 4:1  Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.

Mark 1:12  At once the Spirit sent him (Jesus) out into the desert.

Mark 1:13 and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

Luke 4:1  Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert.

Luke 4:2 where for forty days he was

tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

If Jesus is God then...

God can NOT be tempted while simultaneously WAS tempted.

PART 2:

Proving Jesus is NOT the Savior

For someone to imply that Jesus is God based on the prior information presented in the Bible (no Quran verses needed), one must conclude such a concept is simply illogical.

Please also keep in mind the Bible says...

1 Corinthians 14:33  For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

Perhaps if we apply logic we will come up with a better answer...

If God is Omnipotent, Omniscient, NOT a man, NOR the son of man, and can NOT be tempted, yet...

Jesus is NOT Omnipotent, NOT Omniscient, a man, the son of man, and WAS tempted then...

Jesus can NOT be God.

So if Jesus is not God then can he still be the Savior? The Bible answers this as well...

Isaiah 43:3  "For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place."

So God says that He is the Savior and...

Isaiah 43:11  "I, even I, am the LORD, And there is no savior besides Me."

Now we see that ONLY God is the Savior, so with a little logic we can conclude...

1. Jesus is NOT God.

2. ONLY God is the Savior.

3. Jesus can NOT be the Savior.

If Jesus is not the Savior, then who was he?

Jesus was exactly who he claimed to be as recorded in the Bible (no Quran verses needed).

Mark 6:4  But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.”

Even the crowds of people that Jesus preached to knew and acknowledged who he was...

Matthew 21:11  The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

So there you have it, Jesus was a wonderful powerless human prophet sent by God to guide only the Children of Israel with the Gospel that God gave to him, as Jesus himself testified to...

John 17:3  (Jesus said) "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."

Revelation 1:1  The revelation (Gospel) of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending His angel (Gabriel) to His servant John.

All these verses from Bible clearly indicate that Jesus was a prophet of God. He brought the message of worshiping God alone, like all the messengers and prophets of God. Those who truly follow the message of Jesus, will reflect on these verses and uphold the truth, even if it means going against the norms.        You shall not accept any information, unless you verify it for yourself. I have given you the hearing, the eyesight, and the brain, and you are responsible for using them. (Quran 17:36) .   The first commandment in the Old Testament is essentially that we are required to worship God alone, that we should not defy God by having other gods besides Him. The two greatest commandments as preached by Jesus were first to “love your Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest commandment. The second is like unto it, that “thou shall love your neighbor as thyself.” Jesus explains from these two commandments, all the laws are derived.

Is Jesus Divine?

In Isaiah 45:5, we read. “I’m the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me.” The major emphasis of Isaiah 45 is to know that God is One, worship Him

alone, and have no gods beside Him. There are numerous verses which follow along the same lines as that of Isaiah 45. This brings us the question of how is it possible for the Councils in the fourth and the fifth century to conclude that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are to be worshipped as one and the same?

The argument presented to support the trinity seems to be that the three beings equal to one does not violate the law. And three are also to be thought of as separate. The next question follows: If God is to be worshipped as three in the same or thought of as vice versa, why was this quality not “clearly” revealed by one of God’s prophets, messengers, or even Jesus, since it is such a vital component of the practice of Christianity today?

When Jesus states that “I and the father are one,” is it not possible to interpret this as Jesus doing the will of God, and therefore his will and God’s will coincide to be one? A similar scenario would be a man completely devoted to his work, living through his work thus becoming like one with it.

Common Christian thought is that the only way to heaven is through Jesus, whether through intercession in prayer or devotion in worship as part of the trinity. It causes one to wonder if this requirement would exclude God’s prophets and messengers who came prior to Jesus. The Old Testament clearly states that they worshipped and prayed to God alone. Or, is this a new requirement that was placed on humanity only after Jesus?  The practice of Christianity today is focused around Jesus. The Sunday service in a Catholic mass comes to a climax around the communal services. The practices of the religion are obviously very different from the practices prior to, during, and directly following the life of Jesus. Nowhere in the Bible, either the New or the Old Testament, is the word trinity mentioned; yet it is vital to Christian beliefs today. At no point does Jesus say “I am God” or “I am divine.”

The issue of Jesus’ divinity was extremely controversial within the church in the third and fourth century, and has remained a controversial issue until today. These issues which are so important to the practice and beliefs of Christianity today were concluded upon some 400 years after the death of Jesus by Councils of the Church. Why would something so important as an issue which would quiestion

tion the unity of God not have been “clearly” stated by Jesus himself, or other prophets of God?

Never would a human being whom GOD blessed with the scripture and prophethood say to the people, “Idolize me beside GOD.” Instead, (he would say), “Devote yourselves absolutely to your Lord alone,” according to the scripture you preach and the teachings you learn. (3:79)

O people of the scripture, do not transgress the limits of your religion, and do not say about GOD except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was a messenger of GOD, and His word that He had sent to Mary, and a revelation from Him. Therefore, you shall believe in GOD and His messengers. You shall not say, “Trinity.” You shall refrain from this for your own good. GOD is only one god. Be He glorified; He is much too glorious to have a son. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on

earth. GOD suffices as Lord and Master. (4:171)

The Messiah, son of Mary, is no more than a messenger like the messengers before him, and his mother was a saint. Both of them used to eat the food. Note how we explain the revelations for them, and note how they still deviate! (5:75)

(On The Day Of Resurrection) GOD will say, “O Jesus, son of Mary,** did you say to the people, `Make me and my mother idols beside GOD?’ “ He will say, “Be You glorified. I could not utter what was not right. Had I said it, You already would have known it. You know my thoughts, and I do not know Your thoughts. You know all the secrets. (5:116)

**It is noteworthy that the Quran consistently calls Jesus “son of Mary” and the Bible calls him “son of man.” God knew that some will blaspheme and call him “son of God”!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   The first and the last Jesus:

The truth

There is a book titled The Third by Jesus Deepak Chopra . According to some critiques, it is a sensitive treatment of Jesus from one outside the Christian and Western traditions, and it helps to move religion itself out of its tribal past and into what must surely be a universal future. Below are some excerpts that one can find on the internet regarding this book.

In The Third Jesus,Chopra tries to provide an answer to the question of who Jesus is. There is not one Jesus, he writes, but three.

First, there is the historical Jesus, the man who lived more than two thousand years ago and whose teachings are the foundation of Christian theology and thought. Next there is Jesus the Son of God, who has come to embody an institutional religion with specific dogma, a priesthood, and devout believers. And finally, there is the third Jesus, the cosmic Christ, the spiritual guide whose teaching embraces all humanity, not just the church built in his name. He speaks to the individual who wants to find God as a personal experience, to attain what some might call grace, or God-consciousness, or enlightenment.

When we take Jesus literally, we are faced with the impossible.

How can we truly “love thy neighbor as thyself”? But when we see the exhortations of Jesus as invitations to join him on a higher spiritual plane, his words suddenly make sense.

Ultimately, Chopra argues, Christianity needs to overcome its tendency to be exclusionary and refocus on being a religion of personal insight and spiritual growth. In this way Jesus can be seen for the universal teacher he truly is–someone whose teachings of compassion, tolerance, and understanding can embrace and be embraced by all of us.

It sounds good, but what about the truth about Jesus, his teachings, his mission and his identity? We will refer to God’s revelations in the Quran, the Final Testament for clarification because there is no conjecture in it. The Quran contains nothing but God’s words, as we now have the physical proof in the form of its mathematical structure to prove it. Therefore, when God relates to us the history of the messengers, we know that it is the truth. When God talks about Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus or Muhammad, it is the truth. Thus the Quran is the dispute resolver.

[16:64]  We have revealed this scripture to you, to point out for them what they dispute, and to

provide guidance and mercy for people who believe.

Although the previous scriptures of God contain the truth, inevitably one has to sift through the confusing and conflicting elements to get it. So, if there is any discrepancy in the message because of human injection or any dispute on specific matters, the Quran is the ultimate reference.

[5:48]  Then we revealed to you this scripture, truthfully, confirming previous scriptures, and superseding them. You shall rule among them in accordance with GOD’s revelations, and do not follow their wishes if they differ from the truth that came to you. For each of you, we have decreed laws and different rites. Had GOD willed, He could have made you one congregation. But He thus puts you to the test through the revelations He has given each of you. You shall compete in righteousness. To GOD is your final destiny - all of you - then He will inform you of everything you had disputedWhen God says in the Quran that Jesus was born to Mary without a father, then that is the truth. When He says that Jesus is not His only begotten son but His servant, like every other messenger, then there is nothing to argue about.

[19:34-7]  That was Jesus, the son of Mary, and this is the truth of this matter, about which they continue to doubt.  It does not befit GOD that He begets a son, be He glorified. To have anything done, He simply says to it, “Be,” and it is. He also proclaimed, “GOD is my Lord and your Lord; you shall worship Him alone. This is the right path.”  The various parties disputed among themselves (regarding the identity of Jesus). Therefore, woe to those who disbelieve from the sight of a terrible day.

Note that Jesus preached to worship God alone, which is something all messengers of God did. He performed miracles as part of the proofs for his messengership, but he attributed them all to God.

[3:49]  As a messenger to the Children of Israel: “I come to you with a sign from your Lord - I create for you from clay the shape of a bird, then I blow into it, and it becomes a live bird by GOD’s leave. I restore vision to the blind, heal the leprous, and I revive the dead by GOD’s leave. I can tell you what you eat, and what you store in your homes. This should be a proof for you, if you are believers.

He was the Word of God. He spoke as an infant. It is still unbelievable for some, but it was the truth then, it is the truth now. Once we know the scripture is from God, all miracles come alive.

[3:45-6]  The angels said, “O Mary, GOD gives you good news: a Word from Him whose name is `The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary.’ He will be prominent in this life and in the Hereafter, and one of those closest to Me.   He will speak to the people from the crib, as well as an adult; he will be one of the righteous.”

 

[5:110]  GOD will say, “O Jesus, son of Mary, remember My blessings upon you and your mother. I supported you with the Holy Spirit, to enable you to speak to the people from the crib, as well as an adult. I taught you the scripture, wisdom, the Torah, and the Gospel. Recall that you created from clay the shape of a bird by My leave, then blew into it, and it became a live bird by My leave. You healed the blind and the leprous by My leave, and revived the dead by My leave. Recall that I protected you from the Children of Israel who wanted to hurt you, despite the profound miracles you had shown them. The disbelievers among them said, `This is obviously magic.’

There was no magic about what Jesus performed. He did what his Lord, God Almighty asked him or allowed him to do. He delivered God’s message that He alone is the Lord. He never asked people to idolize himself and put him next to God.

[5:116]  GOD will say, “O Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to the people, `Make me and my mother idols beside GOD?’ “He will say, “Be You glorified. I could not utter what was not right. Had I said it, You already would have known it. You know my thoughts, and I do not know Your thoughts. You know all the secrets.

Did Jesus die for our sins? The answer is no. There is no easy way to get out of our responsibilities. That is completely wishful thinking. God tells us that no soul can bear the sins of another soul (53:38). Every human being is responsible for his own works (53:39). The messengers do not have the power of intercession and they themselves are worried about their own necks.

[21:28]  He knows their future and their past. They do not intercede, except for those already accepted by Him, and they are worried about their own necks.

Termination of Jesus’ Life

How about the cross? Did they crucify Jesus? The answer is in the Quran. Yes, they put the body of

Jesus on the cross, but not until after God raised his soul to Him, thus ridding him of the disbelievers.

[4:157]  And for claiming that they killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of GOD. In fact, they never killed him, they never crucified him - they were made to think that they did. All factions who are disputing in this matter are full of doubt concerning this issue. They possess no knowledge; they only conjecture. For certain, they never killed him.

[4:158]  Instead, GOD raised him to Him; GOD is Almighty, Most Wise.

[3:55]  Thus, GOD said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, raising you to Me, and ridding you of the disbelievers. I will exalt those who follow you above those who disbelieve, till the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is the ultimate destiny of all of you, then I will judge among you regarding your disputes.

This is the truth about Jesus narrated in the Quran by God. It is the first and the last Jesus. The true Jesus.

[18:29]  Proclaim: “This is the truth from your Lord,” then whoever wills let him believe, and whoever wills let him disbelieve…

Thank God for giving us the truth and the absolute freedom in deciding what to do with it.