My friends of the Jewish and Muslim faiths both tell me Jesus cannot be God because God is uniquely ONE.
To
unbelievers, The Old Testament does not clearly reveal Jesus, yet it clearly
speaks volumes on a coming, suffering, and eventually conquering Savior. Numerous
scriptures in the New Testament echo Old Testament verses that speak of this
Savior.Similarly,
the Koran reportedly says, as does the Bible, that God created the universe
through and for Jesus, and that He is The Word of God. Surprisingly, the Koran
reportedly speaks more about, and more highly of Jesus than it does about
Mohammed.
Despite
this body of evidence, both groups affirm ‘God is ONE, ergo, Jesus cannot be
God, as claimed.’
Accepting
Jesus as The revealed Son of God, and as God in human flesh is just one
of the many Godly conundrums we are asked to believe in faith. But does it
really take that much faith? Consider this, for example.
You, my
Friend, are similarly a conundrum. You are uniquely one, made in the
express image of God. Yet, you both present and express yourself as a
tripartite being, an unseen, but very much alive spirit; exercising
your soul (comprising your mind, will, emotions, intellect, and
imagination); all of which are housed in a temporary, physical body. Your
physical body will die, but your soul and spirit will live forever. So tell me, are you still uniquely
ONE?
The
obvious answer is Yes …and No! Your component elements beautifully integrate to
present you as ONE within this Earth-bound existence. Yet they remain separate
and still distinctly YOU.
Command: ‘Let the REAL you please stand
up, and engage!
In response
to such a command, your physical body may ‘stand up’ for all to see, yet God can
see whether your spirit (heart), which is the seat of your motives, may be
sitting down in defiance to this command. Through interaction, intellectual
onlookers may be able to ascertain the extent to which your mind is or is not
standing up and engaging. So in response to a unique command, you, as one unique person,
have the ability to respond in multiple manners. Imagine that.
If we
can do this, and we are created in God’s express image, can we, the created,
limit the abilities of The Creator to reveal and express Himself similarly? Yet
this is exactly what Muslim and Jewish believers are doing in rejecting Jesus’
claim to be God. Just as we do, God reveals and expresses Himself in ‘Three Persons’: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. So who are we to say
pridefully,
Hold on, Mr. Creator, You can’t
do that
because our puny minds cannot
grasp it!
Conclusion: Jesus is as much fully
God, as your mind, your body, and your spirit, are fully you.
See: Is Jesus God? (Series w/Fresh Insights!), especially Part 2.
