Jesus’ Claims
1. He has the authority to forgive sins. No one has the right to forgive people their sins—no one, that is, except God. This belief is shared by Jews, Christians, and Muslims (see Qur’an 3:135). One day a paralyzed man, lying on a mat, was carried before Jesus. Everyone expected that Jesus would heal him, but instead Jesus said to the man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” The teachers of the law were indignant. In order to convince his critics that he had the power to forgive sins, Jesus turned to the sick man and said, “Get up, take your mat and go home!” To the amazement of the crowd, the man got up, took his mat, and walked out in front of them (Mark 2:1–12). Would God have given Jesus the power to heal the sick man if he had no right to forgive the man’s sins? Jesus granted forgiveness of sins to people in other circumstances (Luke 7:36–50; John 8:1–11). The question is, “Why did God give the authority to forgive sins to no other prophet than Jesus?” If it is true that in the ultimate sense only God can forgive sins, then Jesus’ forgiving sins (which he validates by the confirming miracle) speaks of more than vague uniqueness, but of his very identity as God.
2. His authority is above God’s law. The Law of Moses prohibited the Jewish people from working on the Sabbath. This was one of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8–11). Yet Jesus declared one day, “The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man [Jesus] is Lord even of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). On another occasion, Jesus challenged the continuing validity of the food laws, a point the evangelist Mark well understands, for he comments, “In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean” (Mark 7:19). More broadly, although Jesus invariably treats Old Testament law as truly the Word of God, he commonly speaks and acts as if that law is something that points toward him, something that he and he alone fulfills (e.g., Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:44–47; John 5:46).
3. He is God’s new temple. One day Jesus was appalled by the trading carried on inside the temple in Jerusalem. He turned everyone out. The Jewish authorities were furious. They demanded that Jesus explain his actions: “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” Jesus’ response was rather enigmatic: “Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days” (John 2:9). By these words Jesus indicated that he would rise from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. The temple was the great meeting place between God and his people. It was the place of sacrifice, the place of atonement. By claiming to be the temple, Jesus was announcing that he himself would become the great meeting place between God and his people. Because of his death and resurrection, people would then worship God through him. Shortly after his resurrection his first disciples worshipped him as “Lord and God” (John 20:28; cf. Matthew 28:16–17).
4. He is the Judge on the day of judgment. Jesus claims to be the judge on the day of judgment (Matthew 7:21–23; 25:31–34; John 5:24–27), thus asserting for himself a role that belongs to God alone. Islam agrees that final judgment belongs to God: the Qur’an describes God as “the King on the Day of Judgment” (1:4). The fact that Jesus identifies himself as the one who will call people to give account for their lives is most significant.
A careful reading of the Gospels leaves us with no doubt about the uniqueness of Jesus in both his person and his mission. This uniqueness is encapsulated by his title “Son of God.” Christians are compelled by the biblical evidence to believe in the Trinitarian God (the Loving Father, the Saving Son, and the Sanctifying Spirit) who is over us, with us, and within us.
A Christian Response to Islamic Objections About Jesus
We have suggested in the previous section that the Qur’an rightly rejects a misconception of the Trinity as being God, Mary, and Jesus (5:116). If the Qur’an, like the Bible, is to be interpreted by itself and according to its historical context, this means that some other Qur’anic texts denying the so-called Christian Trinity are best understood as inveighing against the same construction of God-Mary-Jesus: God is not three (gods) (4:171); Jesus is not the third of three (gods) (5:76); Christ is not the son of God (9:30); God is not Christ (5:17, 72); and God does neither beget nor is he begotten (112:3). What the Qur’an actually denies in such passages is the tritheism of God-Mary-Jesus that was perceived to be a Christian form of Arab polytheism. In such polytheism God was believed to have female companions (6:102; 72:3) as well as daughters, three of whom are actually mentioned by name (53:19–20; cf. 16:57; 43:19; 53:27).
In the centuries following the circulation of the Qur’an, Muslim theologians also rejected the biblical understanding of the Trinity on the grounds that it too undermines God’s oneness. They put forward several arguments:
“The Christian Doctrine Does Not Make Sense”
“Either God is one or he is three. Either Jesus Christ is God or he is a man. You cannot have it both ways. The word ‘trinity’ is not even found in the Bible.”
This rationalistic argument is rather surprising as Islam is not a rationalistic religion. Islam means submitting ourselves, including our minds, to God. Iman (faith) consists in trusting God and his Word even when his revelation is beyond our understanding. When Muslims say Allahu akbar, do they not mean that God is far greater than us, including our human rationality? It is true that the word “trinity” is a theological word that Christians have chosen to express their belief about God and that the word is not in the Bible, but its meaning is consistent with the Bible’s teaching. The word tawhid (monotheism) is not in the Qur’an either, but its theological content is indisputable among Muslims. In the Bible the linking of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is not uncommon. For instance, before he left his disciples, Jesus commissioned them to be his witnesses with the following words:
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:18–20).
“It Is Unfitting for God to Become a Human Being”
Some Muslim scholars argue that it is simply unbecoming for God to humble himself to the point of becoming a human being. But both Muslims and Christians believe that God is sovereign and free to do whatever he wants, so as God’s servants we have no right to challenge our Creator even if what he reveals to us is difficult to believe. Do not Muslims elsewhere assert, “He cannot be questioned for His acts, but they will be questioned for theirs” (21:23)? Who are we, then, to assert that it is demeaning for God to become a human being (43:81)? If we apply human standards to God, we will make him into our own image. If God sovereignly decides to humble himself, who are we to challenge him? Did he not create man and woman in his own image (Genesis 1:26–27)? May this not make it possible for him to take possession of his image and to dwell in it, so to speak? Does not the Qur’an say that God appointed humankind as his caliph, that is, his representative on earth (2:30)? Since God created us with such dignity, it is neither inconceivable nor degrading for him to identify with his human creatures.
“Jesus Is God’s Son Only in a Symbolic Sense”
Some Muslim scholars accept that Jesus is a special prophet, but then every prophet is special in his own way. They argue that Christians should not take literally the title “Son of God” given to him metaphorically in the Gospels.23 After all, they point out, the Bible itself applies this expression to Adam (Luke 3:38), angels (Job 1:6), Israel (Deuteronomy 14:1), Solomon (2 Samuel 7:14), and Jesus’ own disciples (Luke 6:35).
This argument does not take into account that Jesus is said to be God’s one and only Son (John 3:16, 18). It does not do justice to the texts that highlight the uniqueness of Jesus’ birth, names, mission, claims, and resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus Christ, followed by his ascension to heaven and enthronement by God, is an unparalleled event in human history.
It is therefore very important to dispel some misunderstandings. The divine sonship of Jesus is neither physical nor temporal. It is to be understood neither literally nor symbolically but spiritually. This means the following:
1. Jesus is not God’s Son because he was conceived miraculously in Mary’s womb, but the other way round: Jesus was conceived this way because he is God’s eternal Son.
2. God created Jesus’ human nature when he was conceived in Mary’s womb. This means that as well as being divine, Jesus is fully a human being and his Qur’anic name “Jesus, son of Mary” is fully justified.
3. God cannot be reduced to the person of the Son alone. While it is correct that Christ is God (by virtue of his divine nature), it is not true that God is Christ, as if God were exhausted in Christ. God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
4. The incarnation of the Son of God does not at all mean making a man into a god. The incarnation is exactly the opposite of the deification of a man. The former refers to the self-abasement of God, whereas the latter is about the elevation of a man to God’s rank. Certainly God did not take Jesus as his Son.
5. The divine and the human natures have been united in the one person of Jesus Christ. Christians worship the person of Christ and not his divine or human nature. This union neither deifies human nature nor humanizes divine nature. The two natures remain distinct, unconfused, and unmixed. Therefore, in no way do Christians associate in their worship the Creator with what is created.
6. God is not one and three from the same point of view, which would be a contradiction in terms. He is one nature and three persons. The Holy Trinity is about the loving God, his eternal Word, and his living Spirit.
7. The expression “son of God” has (as we have noted) a variety of referents in the Bible, depending on the context. In the same way it has a variety of overtones even when it is quite clearly referring to Jesus. In some New Testament passages it functions to assert that Jesus is the true, long-awaited, Davidic king, the ultimate fulfillment of passages such as 2 Samuel 7:11b–16, Psalm 2, and Isaiah 9.
4. Sin and Forgiveness
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam teach that human beings are morally accountable to their Creator and Judge. They are expected to comply with God’s revealed law. If they fail, they commit sin. In all three religions God is known as a forgiving Lord. This section looks into human sin, divine forgiveness, and the way they relate to each other in Christianity and Islam.24
Sin in Christianity and Islam
The Definition of Sin
Sin is disobeying God’s commands (1 John 3:4). It disrupts our relationship with our Creator, our fellow human beings, the environment and ourselves. In Christianity, God is not only displeased with us when we sin, he is also grieved and personally affected. Ultimately our offense offends the law-giver himself, our heavenly Father (Psalm 51:4; Luke 15:18). In Islam, the sinner does wrong to himself (65:1). God remains unaffected by our actions since he is far above his human creatures.
Islamic teaching explains sin in terms of people’s ignorance, weakness, or misjudgment. While all this may be true, the biblical diagnosis of sin goes deeper into the human heart. Sin has to do with our innermost attitude toward God. We want to live our lives our way instead of acknowledging our dependence on him. We want to be our own judge in deciding what is right and wrong instead of trusting him. This is the root of our wrongdoing and sinful behavior.
The Seriousness and Penalty of Sin
Mainstream Islam considers all sins to be serious, whether they are hidden or uncovered. Indeed they represent grievous violations of the law of God, who is so generous with us and who is our supreme Judge. People will be punished for their sins in the afterlife unless God decides to forgive them. There is one sin that God will never forgive (unless people repent): shirk or polytheism (4:48). If people are guilty of this sin, they will certainly suffer eternal punishment.
Mu’tazili theology (an alternative expression of Islamic orthodoxy) divides sin into major sins (kaba’ir) and minor sins (sagha’ir). Only major sins are serious since one major sin will send a person to hell if one does not repent of it. Major sins are not all known to people. This ignorance is meant to be a deterrent: we are more likely to keep away from any sin if we know it might be a major one. The Prophetic Tradition lists seven major sins, but this is by no means an exhaustive list.25 Major sins include polytheism (22:31), apostasy, adultery, robbery, witchcraft, murder (4:93), consuming the property of an orphan (4:10), usury (2:275), running away from a battle (8:15), slandering a married Muslim woman (24:23), rebellion against one’s parents, lying, taking false oaths, giving false testimony, drinking wine, and abusing or despairing of God’s mercy.
The penalty for sin in the Bible is physical and spiritual death in this life and the next. God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” for he said, “when you eat of it you will certainly die” (Genesis 2:17; cf. Romans 6:23). We do not find this solemn warning in the Qur’anic story of Adam and Eve’s disobedience. Like the Bible, the Qur’an tells us that God expelled Adam and Eve from paradise following their disobedience (Genesis 2:23–24; Qur’an 2:36; 7:24; 20:123), but Muslim scholars do not understand this banishment necessarily in terms of punishment. In fact both Adam and Eve repented and God forgave them.