Is Jesus God or Man?
God
has always been an interesting topic of discussion and debate among fellow
divine religions, especially in Indonesia between Islam and
Christianity. Likewise with Jesus, it has always been an interesting topic
of debate between the two religious groups above. According to Muslims,
Isa (Jesus) is a human messenger of God, while according to Christianity, Jesus
is God (understanding the concept of the Trinity).
Answering the truth of the two different statements above, of
course the reference is only from the Word of God both found in the Quran and
the Bible. Science and technological sophistication cannot answer the
contradictions of the two opinions above, because they are metaphysical.
The statement of Muslims that Jesus is human, the prophet sent
by God (Allah) is absolutely true and undeniable, because the reference used is
the Quran.Likewise, the confession of Christians that Jesus is God, is also
true according to the Bible. However, if it is examined and understood
from the eyes of faith with the guidance of the power of the Holy Spirit, it
turns out that all this time Christians have experienced a distortion of the
meaning of the divinity of Jesus.
At present all Christians, even the Pastors of the people, if
asked whether Jesus is God or man? So the answer is firmly and confidently
stating that " Jesus isGod ". Regarding
this matter, the author will convey Bible facts which state that Jesus was
human, not God based on the facts of God's Word (God the Father)
found in the Bible.
Al-Quran Verse Facts: Jesus is Human
According to the Quran, Jesus was not God but a
prophet. This statement is indisputable. Because it is written in the
Quran, the following is the explanation of the Quran about Jesus:
1. QS Ali Imran/ 3:45 - O Maryam,
indeed God has pleased you (with the birth of a created son) with a word (that
came) from Him, his name is Al Masih Isa son of Maryam, a prominent person in this world and in the hereafter and
including those who are brought close (to God).
God's revelation through the angel Gabriel to Muhammad. The
content of the Word of God: tells the story of Mary who will give
birth to Jesus Christ as the only person who is prominent in the world and in
the afterlife and is among the people who are brought closer to God.
2. QS. Ali Imran/3: 46,
"and he spoke with humans (when) in the cradle and when he was grown up,
and he was among the pious."
God's revelation through the angel Gabriel to
Muhammad. Contents of God's Word: tells the story of Isa's strengths. “That Isa has an advantage over
humans in general because he could speak when he was a baby.
3. QS. Ali Imran/3: 49 And as
a Messenger to the Children of Israel (he said), "I have come to you with
a sign (miracle) from your Lord, which is that I made for you (something) from
the earth shaped like a bird, then I blew on it, then he became a bird with
God's permission. And I healed people blind from birth and people with
leprosy. And I resurrect the dead by God's permission, and I tell you what
you eat and what you keep in your house. Verily, in such a thing there is
a sign (the truth of my apostleship) for you, if you are a believer.
God's revelation through the angel Gabriel to
Muhammad. Contents of the Word of God: telling the story of the words of Jesus. "Isa said to the
Children of Israel that He was the Messenger who performed miracles, created
birds from the ground, healed the blind and healed the lepers and raised the
dead with God's permission".
4. QS. Ali Imran/3: 50, And
as one who justifies the Torah that came before me, and that I may make lawful
for you some of what has been forbidden for you.And I come to you with a sign
(miracle) from your Lord. Therefore, fear God and obey me.
God's revelation through the angel Gabriel to
Muhammad. The content of the Word of God: tells the story
of : Jesus came to bring miracles, legalize
what has been forbidden to humans, commanded that humans fear God and obey Him
(Jesus). Obedience means obeying what Jesus has taught people according to
the guidance and light in the Gospel.
5. QS. Ali Imran/3: 51.
Indeed, Allah is my Lord and your Lord, therefore worship Him. This is the
straight path.”
God's revelation through the angel Gabriel to
Muhammad. Contents of God's Word: tells the story of Jesus' words about God.
6. QS. An-Nisa/4 :158 - But (in truth), God has
raised Jesus to Himself. And God is Almighty and Wise.
God's revelation through the angel Gabriel to Muhammad. The
contents of God's Word: tells that God has raised Jesus to Him. This shows that Jesus is
not God, but a man who was appointed by God to Heaven. Jesus was not
crucified, was not killed and did not die, according to the contents of God's
revelation in QS An Nisa verse 157.
7. QS. An-Nisa/4: 171,
"O People of the Book! Do not transgress the limits of your religion,
and do not say anything against God except the truth. Indeed, Al-Masih Isa
son of Maryam is the messenger of God and (created by) His words that He
conveyed to Maryam, and (by a breath of) His spirit. So believe in Allah
and His messengers and do not say, "(God is) three", stop (from that
speech). (That) is better for you. Verily, Allah is the One God, Most
Holy is He from (the assumption) of having children. To Him belongs
whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on earth. And God is enough as
a protector.
God's revelation through the angel Gabriel to
Muhammad. Content of God's Word: For
Muhammad to convey the content of God's revelation to the People of the Book
about Al-Masih Isa Son of Maryam is God's messenger who was created from the
Word of God. From here it is known that Jesus is God's creation. Do
not say that God is three, and think that God has children.
8. QS. Al-Ma'Idah/5: 72,
Indeed, those who say, "Indeed, God is the Messiah son of Maryam, have
disbelieved." Whereas Al-Masih (himself) said, "O Children of
Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.” Verily, whoever
associates (something with) Allah, then verily, Allah forbids heaven for him,
and his abode is hell. And there is no helper for the wrongdoers.
God's revelation through the angel Gabriel to
Muhammad. The contents of God's Word regarding God 's defense of Jesus against the accusation of those
who say God is the Messiah.
9. QS Maryam/19: 30, "- Jesus said:
"Indeed I am a servant of God, He gave me Al Kitab (Gospel) and He made me
a prophet."
God's revelation through the angel Gabriel to Muhammad. The
content of God's Word about Jesus' words to His people. From this
information it is known that Jesus is a prophet, a servant of God who received
the gospel from God.
10. QS. Az-Zukhruf/43:
59 - Isa is nothing but a servant whom We bestowed upon him
(prophethood) and We made him a sign of proof (of God's power) for the Children
of Israel.
God's revelation through the angel Gabriel to Muhammad. The
content of God's Word explains
about Jesus as a prophet for the people of Israel.
Here
are 10 verses of the Quran that are compiled as clues about Jesus not God.Isa is
a human servant of Allah, Allah's Messenger,
Allah 's Prophet and not God . Even
though the Quran is not detailed, not systematic and not structured, it does
not clearly tell the whole life of Jesus from birth to ascending to
Heaven.However, Muslims have received information from God about the
whereabouts of Isa (Jesus), namely a human being who was born from the words of
Allah, the Spirit of Allah, whose name is Isa. Also knowing that Isa is
the only person who is prominent in the world and the hereafter, and has been
appointed by Allah to Heaven.
Clearly
according to the Qur'an, Isa (Jesus) is a human being who
talks to other humans on Earth. If Jesus is God it is impossible for Jesus
to speak to people, because God cannot be seen. God lives on
the Throne. God only revealed His word to man (Prophet Muhammad) through
the angel Gabriel's messenger from behind the curtain. Although there are
some people who are given the advantage of being able to speak directly to
people such as Prophet Adam, Prophet Noah, Prophet Abraham, (descendants of
Abraham), the descendants of Israel, the family of Imran (QS. Ali Imran-3: 33; QS. Maryam-19: 58 ).
Bible
Fact: Jesus is a Man
Christians recognize Jesus as God. All Christians when
asked who is Jesus? The answer with real faith and certainty is sure to
say " Jesus is God ". But is
Jesus really God? To answer the truth of Christian confessions about
Jesus God, it is necessary to be tested by proving the Word of God recorded in
the Bible.
Also read: " Facts of Adam's Life History that need to be known According to the
Qur'an and the Bible "
The purpose of this article is to provide accurate
information about Jesus, to all Christians and even to people of other
religions, whose spiritual eyes are still closed by the statements
of ecclesiastical figures, without being based on the Word of God contained in
the Bible.
Here are some Bible verses that show clarity about Jesus as
a human .
1. Genesis 3: 15, "I will
put enmity between you and this woman, between your offspring and
her offspring; his offspring will crush your head, and you will crush his
heel".
This
verse records the Word of God about the story of the fall of man into sin: The
information of the verse shows: "since the first man fell into sin, God
declared that the offspring of women would defeat the power of sinners (the
Devil)". Because of the fall of man into sin by the devil, then God
declared that the atonement of man's sin would be done by
man through the descendants of Eve, who would defeat the power of the
devil (death/death). The meaning of the sentence: "his offspring will
crush your head" means "a human being descended from Eve as a savior
will defeat the power of death/death (snake/devil)". The meaning of
the sentence: "you will bruise his heel" is "the feet of the
savior will be wounded". The conclusion: God has declared that humans
descended from Eve will defeat the power of the devil.
2. Genesis 12: 1-3,
" The
Lord said to Abram: "Go from your country and from your relatives and from your
father's house to the land that I will show you; I will make you a great
nation, and bless you and make your name famous; and you will be a blessing. I
will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you, and through you
all the peoples of the earth will be blessed.
This
verse records God's Word about Abraham being called God. God declared that
through Abraham all humans on Earth received God's blessing. This is the
beginning of God's plan for human salvation by His chosen people .
3. Isaiah 7: 14, "Thus says the Lord: "Therefore God
himself will give you a sign: Behold, a young woman will
conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name him Immanuel."
The
Word of God recorded in this verse is about the Prophecy of the birth of Jesus
by the Prophet Isaiah. The meaning of the sentence "a young woman
is pregnant and will give birth to a son, and she will
name him Immanuel" is declaring the birth of Jesus ,
namely a human being named Immanuel (God with man).
4. Galatia 3:16,
"As for Abraham, all the promises were made and to his
descendants. It is not said "to his descendants" as if many
people were meant, but only one person: "and to your descendants",
that is Christ.
The
Word of God in this verse clearly provides information that only one
person ( human ) is Jesus from the
descendants of Abraham who was chosen as the savior of mankind, namely Christ .
5. Acts 4: 10, 12, “then it shall be known by you people and by all
the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom
you crucified, but whom God raised up from the dead, that because Jesus that's this
man standing healthy right now in front of you. And salvation is found in
no one but in Him, for under heaven there is no other name given
to man by which we can be saved.
The
verses in this book clearly state that on Earth there is only
one human , namely Jesus Christ, who
can save mankind. This means that Jesus Christ is the only man chosen
by God as the savior of mankind .
6. Matthew
1: 20-23. "...Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as
your wife, because the child in her womb is from the Holy Spirit. She will
give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus , because
he is the one who will save his people from their sins." It happened so
that what God said through the prophet would be fulfilled: "Indeed, the
virgin will conceive and give birth to a son men , and
they will name Him Immanuel "which means: God is
with us".
God's Word in the Book of Matthew, firmly states that Jesus was human, can
be described as follows:
a. Mary
gave birth to a boy (obviously: human ) named Jesus, who was
conceived by the Holy Spirit;
b. Jesus
is a man who will save mankind ;
c. God joins humanity through the human Jesus. (Jesus is also
called Immanuel), as prophesied by the prophet Isaiah (see the book of Isaiah
7: 14)
7. Philippians 2: 8, “And being found in human form,
He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a
cross.
This
verse clearly states that Jesus was human ,
He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death
on the cross.
8. Yesaya 61: 1,
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed
me; He has sent me to bring good news to the miserable and to nurse the
brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives
and release from prison to those who are in bondage.”
The information obtained from the book of Isaiah is a prophecy
of the birth of a human being anointed by the Holy Spirit to
proclaim the good news about God's year of grace.
9. Lukas 4: 18-19 "The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to
bring good news to the poor; and he has sent me to preach release to
the captives, and sight to the blind, to free the oppressed, to announce the
year of God's grace has come".
This verse of the book is the fulfillment of the prophecy of the
prophet Isaiah about the year of God's grace. The gist of the conclusion
of this verse states that the year of God's grace has come. This means
that the anointed person who has come, namely Jesus Christ, is
a man who was anointed by the Spirit of God.
10. John 1:1 -5,
14 and 17 "In the beginning was the Word; The Word is with God and
the Word is God. He was in the beginning with
God. All things were made by Him and without Him nothing was made of all
that was made. In Him there is life and that life is the light of man. The light
shines in the darkness and the darkness has no control
over it. The Word became man, and dwelt among us, and we have seen His
glory, which is the glory given to Him as the Only Begotten Son of the Father,
full of grace and truth, because the law was given by Moses, but grace and
truth came by Jesus Christ.
This Word of God, states about the Nature of the birth of the
savior that God has spoken since the beginning of the fall of man into sin, and
has been promised to Abraham as the lineage of the savior of mankind, namely
Jesus Christ. From the summary of the verses of the Gospel of John,
several clues can be understood that Jesus was human.
- In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God;
- Everything is made by the Word, in the Word there is life, and that life is the light of man, that light shines in the darkness. ( See Genesis 1: 3-4) God said: "Let there be light." Then it became clear. God saw that the light was good, so He separated the light from the darkness;
- The Word became man as the only Son of the Father full of grace;
- The Word lives with us (man);
- The Word that dwells with man is the man Jesus Christ.
11. 1
Corinthians 15:21,
"For just as death came because of one man, so also the resurrection of
the dead comes because of one man."
This verse clearly states that the risen Jesus was human .
From all the Bible verses above, information is
obtained that Jesus was human . The
summary of the explanation is as follows:
a. The
plan to save humans from death, has started since the beginning of human fall
into sin. God declared that the sinful demon would be crushed by the seed
of a woman (Eve);
b. God
chose humans from the descendants of Abraham as the lineage for the birth of
the savior of mankind, namely Christ.
c. Jesus is the Word of God who became man through Mary's womb,
conceived from the Holy Spirit;
d. Jesus
will save His people from their sins. The people of Jesus are the people
of Israel, meaning that Jesus is a human from the descendants of Israel;
e. Jesus
in His condition as a man, humbled himself and obeyed until death on the
cross. If Jesus is God, then it is impossible for Jesus to die on the
cross, because God is eternal life.
f. Jesus said that God has anointed me, God's Spirit is upon me, God
has sent me to bring good news to people. So it is clear that Jesus was a
human being, if Jesus were God it would be impossible for God to anoint
God. God cannot send God. God's Spirit is upon me, yes this can give
power to humans to do what God wants.
g. Jesus is the Messiah whom God raised from the descendants of
David, descendants of Abraham, Descendants of Shem,
Descendants of Noah, Descendants of Seth, Descendants of Adam and Eve.
Based on the summary of Bible verse information,
it can be seen that:
a. Jesus is a man created from the Holy Spirit, who was conceived by
the virgin Mary from the descendants of David, the descendants of Abraham
according to God's promise.
b. From the time Jesus was born from Mary's womb until Jesus died on
the cross, Jesus was fully human.
c. The Bible records that during Jesus' life on Earth, Jesus carried
out the same activities as other humans. Jesus can be seen, can be spoken
to, eats and drinks, teaches the good news (the Gospel) according to the will
of God (the Father).
d. Jesus also performed various miracles such as making wine from
water, healing the sick, the blind could see, the mute/deaf could speak and
hear, blessed a little food so that it could be eaten by many, cast out demons,
calmed storms of waves and winds, forgive people's sins and raise the dead.
e. In daily life since Jesus was born on Earth, of course Jesus spoke
and interacted like humans in general. If Jesus manifested as a being of the Spirit or God, surely
Jesus would not be seen by humans. Referring to John's vision on the
island of Patmos, we can understand the true nature of Jesus, who could not
have interacted directly with humans. John's prophecy about the nature of
Jesus can be seen in the book of Revelation 1: 13-16, among others: His
head and hair are white as white feathers, His eyes are like flames of fire,
His feet shine like copper burning in a furnace, His voice is like the sound of
flood waters, in His right hand He holds seven stars (as big as what are the
hands of Jesus), from His mouth came a sharp
two-edged sword, and His face shone like the scorching
sun.
f. The fact of the appearance of Jesus on Patmos Island is
understandable if Jesus, who was born on Earth 20 centuries ago, is a human
like humans in general. Because if Jesus in his essence was like John's
vision, surely all humans who lived in His time would die because they were
powerless to see Jesus' face like the scorching sun.
g. You may think and ask, if Jesus was human when he was on Earth,
how could Jesus forgive human sins, and could perform various miracles and
raise the dead, also be able to rise on the third day from His death.
For this question, it can be explained as follows:
1) Jesus certainly could perform miracles of His own free will;
2) But in his role as a human while on Earth, Jesus showed humans
that every human being can perform miracles if he has been given the power of
God;
3) Jesus proved by sending 12 of His disciples to preach the gospel
and heal the sick, also sending 70 of His other disciples in 35 regions to
preach the gospel and heal the sick in His name;
4) Jesus himself showed humans that when he performed miracles by
feeding 5000 more people, raising the dead (Lazarus), Jesus prayed for
blessings from God (His Father). This means that Jesus performed miracles
because he received power from the Father.
5) When performing healing miracles, Jesus always said your sins
have been forgiven. Jesus can forgive human sins because Jesus is a human
who has a Spiritual body, a heavenly body, not an earthly body or a natural
body.
h. Regarding the forgiveness of sins. Jesus said, that
humans can also forgive the sins of others, the condition is that humans have
been filled (anointed) with the power of the Holy Spirit. According to the
following Word of God: "And after saying this, He breathed on them and said, "Receive
the Holy Spirit. If you forgive people's sins, their sins are
forgiven, and if you confess that someone's sins are still there, the sins are
still there." (John 20: 22) -23) . God forgives a person's sins
for the forgiveness of sins given by humans who have been anointed by the
Spirit of God. Don't be misunderstood as if humans have become God,
because they can forgive human sins.
The
Bible records that Jesus, who was born by the virgin Mary, was completely
human, even though the human Jesus was different from the human descendants of
Adam, because he was conceived by the Holy Spirit. However, in essence
Jesus has all the elements of a human being, namely having a body,
soul and soul. The birth of Jesus on Earth is essentially a
human being who has a physical (body), but the body, life and soul of Jesus are
different from the body, life and soul of the human descendants of Adam.
" There is a heavenly body and an earthly body,
but the glory of the heavenly body is different from the glory of the earthly
body, "... if there is a natural body, then there is also a spiritual
body". The first man came from the dust of the ground and was
physical, the second man came from heaven ( 1 Corinthians 15: 40, 44 and
47).
The
natural body is the earthly body, the spiritual body is the heavenly. From
this verse quote in the book of 1 Corinthians , information is
obtained that Jesus isthe second
human created from the Spirit originating from Heaven , Adamand his
descendants the first humans created from the
dust of the ground came from the world .
Through the description of the Bible verses, I
hope all parties, especially Christians, can have the same understanding as the
author's study that Jesus while on Earth He was a heavenly man who
saved earthly humans . The
humanity of Jesus began since His birth on Earth through the Virgin Mary and
ended on the Cross, when Jesus sacrificed His body as the Sacrifice of
Mankind's Atonement.
Through the death of Jesus on the cross, the
sins of earthly humans are restored and they have eternal life in His
name. The death of Jesus was prophesied by the Prophet Isaiah; "But truly, it is our sickness that he bears, and our misery
that he bears, when we think that he has the plague, beaten and oppressed by
God. But he was pierced for our rebellion, he was crushed for our
iniquity; the reward that brings us salvation is laid upon him, and by his
stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53: 4-5).
After Jesus' death on the cross, Jesus' nature
as a human on Earth ended. “After Jesus had drunk
the sour wine, He said: " It is finished ". Then He
lowered His head and gave His spirit. ( John 19 : 30 )". in
your hands I give my spirit ." And after saying this
He gave up His spirit " (Luke 23: 46). The meaning of the sentence
"He gave His life" means that Jesus' life was not revoked or taken by
God, but Jesus Himself gave or surrender His life to God (Father), and He took
it back on the third day.
Regarding Jesus giving His life to the Father,
this can be illustrated by handing over money to the banker for safekeeping, we
can take the money back at any time.
With,
I hope this writing gives one understanding for all Christians. Therefore,
from now on, if anyone asks whether Jesus is God. Answer them dialogically
so that the meaning of your answer can be understood. Before answering you
have to ask them back, did they ask Jesus who is on earth, or Jesus who is in
Heaven? Because you have to describe in two time dimensions, like this:
1. First: The dimension of the beginning of the
Christian year, namely from the birth to the death of Jesus. In this
dimension, Jesus is a human being who was
created from the Spirit of God, so he is called a
spiritual man or a heavenly man, born of a human,
namely the Virgin Mary. Jesus is a human from the descendants of David,
the descendants of Jacob, the descendants of Isaac, the descendants of Abraham,
the descendants of Shem, the descendants of Noah, the descendants of Seth, the
descendants of Adam and Eve.
2. Second: The time dimension before Christ,
after the resurrection of Jesus, now and throughout all time. In this
dimension, Jesus is God . This means
that from the resurrection of Jesus to the second coming of Jesus on Earth
until the creation of the new Heaven and Earth, Jesus is God. Right now
Jesus is in Heaven, with His Father (remember not the biological Father, but
the Spiritual Father).
Illustration : "If you want
to go to a tourist spot in a city, then you are given two choices, namely
following a tour guide from that tourist city, or following
the directions of people who are both going to that tourist city for the first
time.
May
this writing be useful for everyone, Amen.”
Reference:
1. Quran;
2. Bible;
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