ANSWERS
TO FAQ Answers to 25
Frequently Asked Questions
by
the Evangelical Christians from
the Bible
(Section One - Nos. 1 to 12)
Question No.
1
Jesus said: "I
and the Father are one" (Jn. 10:30), therefore, is not Jesus the same,
or, "co-equal" in status with his Father?
Answer No. 1
In Greek, 'heis'
means 'one' numerically (masc.) 'hen' means 'one' in unity or essence
(neut.) Here the word used by John is 'hen' and not 'heis'. The marginal
notes in New American Standard Bible (NASB) reads; one - (Lit. neuter)
a unity, or,
one essence.
If one wants to
argue that the word 'hen' supports their claim for Jesus being "co-equal"
in status with his Father, please invite that person's attention to the
following verse:
Jesus said: "And
the glory which Thou hast given me, I have given to them (disciples); that
they may be one, just as we are one." (Jn 17:22). Here also the Greek word
used is 'hen'.
If any one was
to consider / regard / believe the Father and Jesus Christ to be "one"
meaning "co-equal" in status on the basis of John 10:30, then that person
should also be prepared to consider / regard / believe "them" - the
disciples of Jesus, to be "co-equal" in status with the Father and Jesus
("just as we are one") in John 17:22. I don't think that individual would
be prepared to make the disciples (students) "co-equal" in status with
the Father or Jesus.
The unity was
of the authorized divine message that originated from the Father, given
to Jesus as His messenger and finally passed on by Jesus to his disciples.
Jesus admitted having accomplished the work which the Father had given
him to do. (Jn. 17:4)
Hot Tip:
(precise and pertinent)
Jesus said: "I
go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I." (Jn. 14:28). This
verse unequivocally refutes the claim of Jesus being "co-equal" in status
with his Father.
Note:
If one wants
to argue that the word "greater" does not necessarily mean being
greater or better in authority or status. Please invite that persons attention
to John 13:16.
Question No. 2
Jesus said: "I
am the way, ...no one comes to the Father,
but through me."
(Jn. 14:6), therefore, is not the Salvation through Jesus, ALONE?
Answer No. 2
Before Jesus
spoke these words, he said; "In my Father's house are many mansions (dwelling
places); if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare
a mansion (a dwelling place) for you." (John 14:2).
The above explicit
statement confirms that Jesus was going to prepare "a" mansion and
not "all" the mansions in "my Father's house". Obviously, the prophets
that came before him and the one to come after, were to prepare the other
mansions for their respective followers. The prophet that came after Jesus
had evidently shown the current "way" to a modern mansion in the
kingdom of heaven.
Besides; the verse
clearly states; Jesus was the "WAY" to a mansion. It is a folly to
believe that Jesus (or any prophet) was the "DESTINATION".
Jesus said; "I
am the door" to find the pasture. (Jn. 10:9). A sheep that walks through
the "door" will find the pasture. A sheep that circles around the "door"
will never find the pasture. One who crosses over the "way" will reach
the mansion. Anyone that stops on the "way" and believes the "way" to be
the end of his/her journey, will be out in the open without any shelter.
Hot Tip:
(precise and pertinent)
Jesus said; "Not
every one that says to me; `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven;
but he who does the will of
my Father, who
is in heaven." (Mt. 7:21).
Question No. 3
Jesus said: "He
who has seen me has seen the Father" (Jn. 14:9), does this not prove that
Jesus Christ and his Father were one and the same?
Answer No. 3
One day to prove
a point and settle an argument, Jesus picked up a child and said to his
disciples; "Whoever receives this child in my name receives me; and
whoever receives me receives Him who sent me;" (Luke 9:48). Does this make
the child Messiah?
Jesus said;
"And this is
eternal life, that they may know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ
whom Thou hast sent." (John 17:3).
The call of sincerity
demands that if believing in the Truth is the honest intention then one
could only pass an ethical judgment after reflecting upon other relevant
texts.
Hot Tip:
(precise and pertinent)
Jesus said; "Truly,
truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master; neither one
who is sent greater than the one
who sent him."
(John 13:16).
During his ministry,
Jesus repeatedly said he was sent by his Father.
Question No. 4
The Bible reveals;
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever
believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16);
should you not believe in Jesus to have eternal life?
Answer No. 4
Of course, we
Muslims believe in Jesus for what he was. But, we do not believe in what
he was not. We believe Jesus was a "Messiah"; "Spirit from God"; "Word
of God"; "the righteous Prophet" as well as "the Messenger of God" and
"the son of Virgin Mary". But, we do not believe Jesus was "the begotten
son of God." The truth of the matter is apostle John never ever wrote;
Jesus was "the begotten" son of God in the original Greek text. The most
recent edition of the revised King James Version has omitted the word "begotten"
from the above text.
Please obtain
a copy of the `Gideon Bible' from any Hotel or a Motel near you. Copies
are distributed free since 1899, all over the world, by The Gideon Society.
In the beginning of this famous Bible, John 3:16 is translated in 26 popular
world languages. You may be amazed to discover that in the English translation,
the editors have used the traditionally accepted term "His only begotten
son." Whereas, in several other languages the editors have used the term
"His unique son" or "His one of a kind son."
In 1992, when
I discovered this textual variations, I wrote
letters to various
universities in North America requesting them to confirm the original Greek
term used by John. Below is a copy of the response received from The George
Washington University:-
John 3:16 and
John 1:18 each have the word `monogenes' in Greek. This word ordinarily
means "of a single kind". As a result, "unique" is a good translation.
The reason you sometimes find a translation that renders the word as "only
begotten" has to do with an ancient heresy within the church. In response
to the Arian claim that Jesus was made but not begotten, Jerome (4th century)
translated the Greek term `monogenes' into Latin as `unigenitus' ("only
begotten").
Paul B. Duff, 22 April, 1992.
Professor Duff's
response was based upon `Anchor Bible', volume 29, page 13-14. The Greek
term for "begotten" is `gennao' as found in Mt. 1:2, which John did not
use.
Hot Tip:
(precise and pertinent)
Jesus said to
Mary; "...go to my brethren, and say to them, I ascend to my Father and
your Father..." (John 20:17). This verse demonstrates that the usage of
term `Father' by Jesus was not in a physical sense but was purely metaphorical
for the Creator. As for Jesus being a "unique son", he, unlike us, was
created by the Creator without a physical Father.
Question No. 5
Jesus said: "Truly,
truly. I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom
of God." (John 3:3); I am a "born again" Christian, are you a "born again"
Muslim?
Answer No. 5
The truth of
the matter is apostle John did not use the phrase "born again". The Greek
text reveals, the phrase used by John is "born from above". The Greek
word used by John is `anothen' (`ano' + `then'). `ano' means `above' and
the suffix `then' denotes `from'. Hence, what Jesus said was "unless
one is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God." And, that sounds
logical. Since none of the living creature is "born from above", no one
can see the kingdom heaven during his life time. The concept of being "born
again" to see the kingdom of heaven is an innovation to instill the
concept of Baptism. In the most recently revised King James Version the
text reads; "being born from above."
The same word
`anothen' appears in the same Gospel and in the same chapter in verse 31.
Here the editors have translated the word as "from above" and not "again".
To enter the Kingdom
of Heaven one has to keep the Commandments. Please read Mt. 5:19, quoted
below. God's distinguished Command known as the `Covenant of Circumcision'
(physically, **"in the flesh of your foreskin"**) was an everlasting Covenant
(Compact, Treaty) between God and man. See Genesis 17:10-14.
Can an everlasting
Treaty be abrogated or revoked unilaterally? If not, how do the uncircumcised
Christians expect to enter the Kingdom of Heaven? Did Jesus abrogate the
Command? He was circumcised in the flesh (Luke 2:21).
Hot Tip:
Jesus said; "Whoever
then annuls (discards) one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches
others, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps
and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (Matt.
5:19).
Question No. 6
Jesus said; "Go therefore and make
disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit," (Matthew 28:19); does this not prove
that the `Doctrine of Trinity' and its present day formula was communicated
and promulgated by Jesus Christ himself?
Answer No. 6
With all due respect, we tend to disagree
in view of the following compelling evidences:-
`Peake's Commentary on the Bible' published
since 1919, is universally welcomed and considered to be the standard reference
book for the students of the Bible. Commenting on the above verse
it records; "This mission is described in the language of the church and
most commentators doubt that the trinitarian formula was original at this
point in Mt.'s Gospel, since the NT elsewhere does not know of such a formula
and describes baptism as being performed in the name of the Lord Jesus
(e.g. Ac. 2:38, 8:16, etc.)."
Tom Harpur, author of several bestsellers
and a former professor of New Testament, writes in his book `For
Christ's Sake'; "All but the most conservative of scholars agree that at
least the latter part of this command was inserted later. The formula occurs
nowhere else in the New Testament, and we know from the only evidence available
(the rest of the New Testament) that the earliest Church did not baptise
people using these words - baptism was "into" or "in" the name of Jesus
alone."
The above command (authentic or otherwise)
does not indicate that the three names mentioned in the formula are or
were, "co-equal" in their status, as well as, were "co-eternal" in the
time frame, to conform with the acknowledged `Doctrine of Trinity'.
If the Father and His Son were both
in "existence" from the Day One, and no one was, a micro second before
or after, and, no one was "greater or lesser" in status, than why is one
called the Father and the other His begotten Son?
Did the act of "Begetting" take place?
If YES, where was the "Begotten Son"
before the act?
If NO, why call him the "Begotten
Son"?
Hot Tip:
"And Peter said to them, `Repent, and
let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness
of your sins;...'" (Acts 2:38). It is most unlikely that apostle Peter
would have disobeyed the specific command of Jesus Christ for baptizing
in the three names and baptized them in the name of Jesus Christ, alone.
Question No. 7
Apostle John in his first Epistle,
chapter 5 and verse 7 wrote:
"For there are three that bear record
in heaven, the Father,
the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these
three are one.";
is this not a fair testimony to acknowledge
the `Doctrine of
Trinity'?
Answer No. 7
The text quoted above does appear in
the older editions of the Kings James Version, but has been omitted in
the most recent edition of the Revised Version. It does not appear in the
New American Standard Bible, the New English Bible and the Phillips Modern
English Bible because the above quoted text does not appear in the older
Greek manuscripts.
Renowned historian Edward Gibbon calls
the addition a "Pious Fraud" in his famous history book `Decline and Fall
of Roman Empire'.
Peakes commentary on the subject reads;
"The famous interpolation after "three witnesses" is not printed even in
RSV., and rightly. It cites the heavenly testimony of the Father, the logos,
and the Holy Spirit, but is never used in the early trinitarian controversies.
No respectable Greek MS contains it. Appearing first in a late 4th-cent.
Latin text, it entered the Vulgate and finally the NT of Erasmus.
Hot Tip:
Notwithstanding the above rejections,
the verse that follows the quoted text reads in KJV; "And there are three
that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood; and
these three agree in one." (1 John 5:8). Are these three witnesses "co-equal"?
Can blood be substituted with water? Can water be regarded as the same
in any respect with the Spirit? Just as the spirit, the blood and the water
are three separate entities, so are the first three witnesses, namely;
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Ghost).
Question No.
8
Jesus said: "He who believes in the
son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the son shall not see life,
but the wrath of God abides on him." (John 3:36); are you not under the
wrath of God for not being a follower of Christ - a Christian, by belief?
Answer No. 8
It is an interesting question. In fact,
we Muslims should be asking the question to you the followers of Christ.
Do the vast majority of Christians truthfully believe Christ for what he
said he was, and, truly understand his commands and obey them? We believe,
most of the followers who claim to be Christians do not even understand
the truth behind calling their Leader "Christ" and themselves "Christians".
The above verse has two parts. `Belief'
and Obedience'. On the subject of Belief in Christ', Jesus asked his disciples;
"But who do you say that I am? And Peter answered and said, "The Christ
of God." (Luke 9:20). Peter did not say God or a god.
We Muslims truly believe Jesus was
"The Christ (al-Masih) of God". The expression "The Christ of God" literally
means; "The one that was anointed by God himself". Please go back
in time and think. God performed the ceremony of anointing (physically
or spiritually) and for that reason, Jesus became "The Christ of God".
Now may I please ask you a simple question. Who is greater and exalted;
the one who anointed, or, the one who got anointed? Since God anointed
Jesus, God is the One that IS greater and exalted than Jesus, which
we Muslims do believe.
Secondly, did Jesus anoint God? If not,
how can Jesus Christ be "co-equal" with the one who made him Holy (Christ)?
Hot Tip:
"...Thy holy Servant Jesus, whom Thou
didst anoint,..."
(Acts 4:27 - New American Standard Bible).
This leaves no room for doubt that Jesus,
who was anointed, was a `Servant of God'. Besides, there are also other
verses in the Bible that declare Jesus; `God's Servant'. Those who claim
Jesus **acted** as a Bond Servant have nothing in the preaching and teachings
of **Jesus** to back them up.
--------------------------
Now let us go to the second part of
the quoted verse; "obeying the Christ". Please read the following verse
and ask yourself a question; have I obeyed?
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who
hears my word, and believes **Him** who sent me, has eternal life, and
does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life". John
5:24
Have I believed and placed my trust
basically, fundamentally and predominately in **Him** or in Jesus?
Hot Tip:
Jesus said; "But I do not seek my glory;
there is One who seeks and judges." John 8:51. Who is this "One"?
Have you basically and essentially glorified that "One" who seeks the glory
or Jesus who does not?
Please remember, as per the above verse,
that "One" will be the Judge on the Day of Judgment and not Jesus. We have
believed the above verse of Jesus. Please read the verse quoted by you
and then think about the "wrath of God" - the One who is going to be the
final Judge.
Question No.
9
In the Book of Genesis 1:26, we read;
"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..."; does
not the use of terms "us" and "our" prove that the God which created man
was not a singular entity, furthermore, does it not support the Johnannine
concept (John 1:3); all things came into being through Jesus?
Answer No. 9
Below is an extract from a commentary
for the above verse, written by the editors of King James Version (The
Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible, 6th edition):
"The Hebrew word for God is `Elohim'
(430), a plural noun. In Genesis 1:1, it is used in grammatical agreement
with a singular verb `bara' (1254), created. When plural pronouns are used,
"Let us make man in our image after our likeness," does it denote a plural
of number or the concept of excellence or majesty which may be indicated
in such a way in Hebrew? Could God be speaking to angels, the earth, or
nature thus denoting Himself in relation to one of these? Or is this a
germinal hint of a distinction in the divine personality? One cannot be
certain."
The response to the commentators remark;
"One cannot be certain", lies not very far, but in the next verse (Genesis
1:27), which reads; "And God created man in His own image, in the
image of God He created him; male and female He created them." This statement
tells us that the actual act of creation when performed, was performed
by "Him" and in "His" image and not by "Us" in "Our" image. Please
also read verse 1:31.
Hot Tip:
As a closing conclusive argument, here
is a statement of truth from Jesus himself; "And he (Jesus) answered and
said unto them, `Have you not read, that He which made them at the beginning
made them male and female." (Matthew 19:4). This statement by Jesus also
negates the so called Johnannine concept put forward by you (NOT
by apostle John); "all things came into being through Jesus."
Question No. 10
In the Gospel of John, we find that
eight days after his resurrection, Jesus
stood before his disciples and asked the unbelieving Thomas to
feel his hands and side, to verify the
nail marks and spear scar. After seeing the hands and the side, Thomas
said to Jesus; "My Lord and my God." If Jesus was not God, he would have
certainly reprimanded Thomas, but he did no such thing, does this not prove,
'Jesus was God'?
Answer No. 10
Please allow me quote from the `New
American Standard Bible' the entire text as it appears in Ch. 20 : 27-28
from John's Gospel:
"Then he (Jesus) said to Thomas, "Reach
here your finger, and see my hands, and reach here your hand, and put it
into my side; and be not unbelieving, but
believing." Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Please observe the mark of exclamation
(!) at the end of the phrase. (Note:
K.J.V. has removed the exclamation mark).
Please observe there was no question
asked in the entire narration. Hence, the text which reads "Thomas answered"
is inaccurate.
The last phrase "My Lord and my God!"
was not an *answer* but an outburst of
*exclamation* by Thomas, having seen something inexplicable and baffling.
Often, we too cry out; "O' my God!" when we see something totally bizarre
or grotesque.
To prove that the above explanation
is not my concocted theory, below are the texts from two reputed versions
of the Bible that support this theory.
a. In the
`New English Bible' it reads: Thomas said, "My Lord and my God!"
b. In
the `Phillips Modern English Bible' it reads: "My Lord and my God!" cried
Thomas.
Hot Tip:
Apostle John writes, immediately after
the discourse between Jesus and Thomas; "Many other signs therefore Jesus
also performed in the presence of the disciples, which
are not written in this book; but these have been written that you may
believe that Jesus is the Christ..."
If John had recognized the answer by
Thomas to be a testimony
for the `Deity of Jesus', and the observed silence by Jesus to be his acquiesce
to such a testimony, then the apostle John would have asked us to believe
"Jesus is the God", in the above verse.
Question No.
11
Apostle Matthew records that Jesus
was worshipped by Magi that came from the East (2:11); by the boat people
(14:33); by Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (28:9); and also by his disciples
on a mountain in Galilee (28:17).
Since worshipping any one other than
God is a fundamental sin, why did not Jesus stop
these people from worshipping him, unless he was God himself?
Answer No. 11
For your information, none of the above
worshipped Jesus. Nor, did apostle Matthew record it so. According to the
lexical aids to the Bible, the proper Greek word for 'worship' is `sebomai'
(4576) from the root 'seb'. That word 'sebomai' is used by apostle Matthew
in 15:9 where Jesus said; "But in vain do they worship me,..."
The Greek word used by the apostle in
the above quotes is 'prosekunesan' and not 'sebomai'. 'Prosekunesan' comes
from 'proskuneo' (4352), which literally means bow, crouch, crawl, kneel
or prostrate. If the apostle wanted to convey;
'Jesus was worshipped', he would have
used the word 'sebomai' which he did not.
To prove the point further, in 'New
English Bible' the translations of the quoted verses read; `bowed to the
ground' in (2:11); 'fell at his feet' in (14:33); 'falling prostrate before
him' in (28:9), and 'fell prostrate before him' in (28:17). The question
of Jesus NOT stopping them for worshipping, therefore does not arise, because
they simply bowed or prostrated to him.
Hot Tip:
Apostle Mark records in 10:17-18; "And
as he (Jesus) was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to him and knelt
before him and began asking him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit
the eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call
me good? No one is good except God
alone." It sounds inharmonious and inconsistent that a person who even
refuses to be called "good" could have allowed any one to worship him.
Since, no one is good except "God alone", should not the followers of Jesus
be worshipping directly to that solitary God to whom Jesus himself prayed
more than a dozen times, according to the Gospels?
Question No.
12
When prophet Moses asked God; What
was His name? What shall he say to his people? From behind the Burning
Bush God replied; "I AM THAT I AM." God also asked Moses to say to the
sons of Israel: "I AM hath sent me unto you." Exodus
3:14. When confronted by Jews; "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I
say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am." (John 8:58 K.J.V.). Jesus also
said; "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if
ye believe not that I am (he), ye shall die in your sins. (John 8:24, K.J.V.).
Does that not prove, Jesus
existed before his birth; he was the One who spoke to Moses from behind
the Burning Bush; and if you do not believe that, you will die in your
sins?
Note: The word `he' in the verse
above as well as in the Hot Tip below, appear in the italic types in King
James Version (K.J.V.). Since I cannot use italics on e-mail, I have placed
the word 'he' within parenthesis.
Answer No. 12
Your question is based upon a simple
conjecture. Even the editors of K.J.V. insinuate that fact. Under the foot
note of Exodus 3:14 the editors write;
"Jesus probably alluded to this name
of God in John 8:58, 'Before Abraham was, I AM." The use of phrase "probably
alluded" clearly indicates it is not an established reality.
My dear friend, a surmise can never
take place of (replace)
an acknowledged statement. This is
what Jesus said; "...I am (he), and that I do nothing of myself;
but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things." (John 8:28). God
of Moses that claimed "I AM THAT I AM" had no instructor or tutor, and,
needed no tutoring. If God had an instructor or an educator, then what
would you call that entity? God's mentor or boss??
The Greek words "ego eimi" are here
translated as "I Am". However, the Or. Translation mentioned in the marginal
notes of the New American Standard Bible reads; "I have been".
As for the existence of Jesus before
his birth, please remember Jesus was anointed by
God before he was born. Hence, he was called Christ (Messiah). Besides
Jesus, there were others who
were either anointed, consecrated or made holy, before their births. Ps.
89:20, Is. 45:1, 61:1; 1 Sam. 24:6. God did take a solemn covenant from
Nova, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad
before they were sent, reveals the Qur'an.
Bible records, God came to prophet Jeremiah
and said to him; "Before I formed you
in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you;
I have appointed you a prophet to the nations."
Jeremiah 1:5.
Hot Tip:
When Jews were doubtful about the identity
of a particular blind beggar who had been healed by Jesus, the blind beggar
- who was no more blind, kept saying; "I
am (he)" (John 9:9, K.J.V.). He did not state he was God, but "he" meaning
previously the blind man. I am "he" (the once blind man).
Further more, the beggar when questioned
about Jesus who had healed him, replied to Jews; "And he said, "He is a
prophet." (John 9:17).
Continued to
Section Two
Please send your comments directly to the
author,
Akbarally Meherally, by e-mail at
trustone@bc.sympatico.ca
AGA KHAN'S DIVINITY *
BIO-DATA * CONFESSIONS
OF FAITH * CRISIS
DU'A OF ISMAILIS Part 1
* DU'A OF ISMAILIS Part 2 *
EPISTLE BY PAUL
FAQ BIBLE Q. 1 to 12
* FAQ BIBLE Q. 13 to 16 *
FAQ BIBLE Q. 17 to 25
GOSPEL OF GOD
HISTORY OF THE
AGA KHANS Sect. 1 * HISTORY OF THE AGA KHANS
Sect. 2 HISTORY OF THE
AGAKHANI ISMAILIS Section 1
HISTORY OF ISMAILIS
Section 2 * HISTORY OF ISMAILIS Section
3
HISTORY OF ISMAILIS Section
4 * HISTORY OF ISMAILIS Section 5
HISTORY OF ISMAILIS Section
6 * HISTORY OF ISMAILIS Section 7
INDEX *
ISLAMIC RITUALS
* JESUS & CHRISTIANS IN QUR'AN
JESUS & MUHAMMAD
* PAUL'S AUTHORITY
PROPHECIES No. 1
* PROPHECIES No. 2
UNDERSTANDING ISMAILISM
Sect. 1 * UNDERSTANDING ISMAILISM
Sect. 2 UNDERSTANDING ISMAILISM
Sect. 3 * UNDERSTANDING ISMAILISM
Sect. 4 UNDERSTANDING ISMAILISM
Sect. 5 * UNDERSTANDING ISMAILISM
Sect. 6
|