Islam and Jesus

1. Has the Bible remained in its original form or has it been altered afterwards?

One of the most common claims made by Muslims is that the Bible today is not in its original form, but that it was later distorted and changed. The perception of many Muslims is that the Bible was originally in its correct form and the word of God, but that later it has undergone so many changes that it can no longer be trusted. It has also been said that the Quran has made these scriptures void and superseded them. Therefore, they are no longer needed in modern times; After all, the Quran should have the final truth and the correct text format, so why should it be worth reading other writings?

    But is the previous notion correct? Is there any reason to believe it? We look at it in the light of the following examples:

What does the Quran say about the biblical scriptures? The Quran exhorts to believe in the Bible

When we start to investigate the matter, it is good to start with the Quran, which Muslims consider their holy book. It is significant that the Quran nowhere indicates that the Bible has changed, but on the contrary, it urges us to believe in it. According to the Quran, no one can even be a proper Muslim if he does not believe in the previous scriptures: the Torah, the Psalms and the Gospel (4:136). Likewise, the Quran shows that these writings now contain – not only at a some point earlier in time – guidance and light, and that the later writings prove the earlier ones correct. That would certainly not have been said if these writings had been considered fakes at the time.

    So in the early stages of Islam, there were no doubts about these books and they were not considered changed. If the Quran calls for belief in them, then they must have been in the minds of the people in their original and pure form at that time; otherwise, surely no such prompts would have been given.

    If we then think that the writings were changed after Muhammad, it is also a rather impossible idea. When, for example, there were hundreds of thousands of copies of the New Testament and its parts spread around the world, how could people change and falsify all these copies uniformly and at the same time? Shouldn't they have been put together and changed in the same way? This seems impossible as an idea, especially considering that the same texts had already been translated into several languages and spread over large areas.

    On the other hand, if, despite everything, the alternative is presented that the scriptures in question are forged, the Quran and its following passages are claimed to be lies. Similarly, the prophet Muhammad is also claimed to be a liar. These are heavy accusations, especially if Muhammad is considered the seal of the prophets, and if the Quran is God's book sent down from Heaven:

Believers, have faith in God and His apostle, in the Book He has revealed to His apostle, and in the Scriptures He formerly revealed. He that denies God, His angels, His Scriptures, His apostles, and the Last Day has gone far astray. (4:136)

We have revealed the Torah, in which there is guidance and light. By it the prophets who surrendered themselves judged the Jews, and so did the rabbis and the divines, according to God’s Book which had been committed to their keeping and to which they themselves were witnesses…

   After them We sent forth Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming the Torah already revealed, and gave him the Gospel, in which there is guidance and light, corroborating what was revealed before it in the Torah, a guide and an admonition to the righteous.

   Therefore let those who follow the Gospel judge according to what God has revealed therein. Evil-doers are those that do not base their judgements on God’s revelations. (5:44,46,47)

Say: ‘We believe in God and that which is revealed to us; in what was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the tribes; to Moses and Jesus and the other prophets by their Lord. We make no distinction among any of them, and to God we have surrendered ourselves.’ (2:136)

Children of Israel!… Have faith in My revelations, which confirm your Scriptures, and do not be the first to deny them. Do not sell My revelations for a paltry price; fear Me. (2:40,41)

Be courteous when you argue with the People of the Book, except with those among them why do evil. Say: ‘We believe in that which is revealed to us and which was revealed to you. Our God and your God is one. To Him we surrender ourselves.’ (29:46)

He has revealed to you the Book with the Truth, confirming the scriptures which preceded it; for He has already revealed the Torah and the Gospel for the guidance of men, and the distinction between right and wrong. Those that deny God’s revelations shall be sternly punished; God is mighty and capable of revenge. (3:3,4)

- See. Also! 2:4,91,97, 101 / 3:81,84 / 4:47,162 / 5:48 / 34:31 / 40:53,54 / 46:30.

Can God not preserve His word?

While in the previous paragraph it was mentioned that the Quran shows that the older writings have remained the same, the Quran also points to the fact that no one can change the words of God:

Proclaim what is revealed to you in the Book of your Lord. None can change His words. You shall find no refuge besides Him. (18:27)

Perfected are the words of your Lord in truth and justice. None can change His words. He hears all and knows all. (6:115)

Those that have faith and keep from evil shall rejoice both in this world and in the hereafter: the Word of God shall never change. That is the supreme triumph. (10:63, 64)

A good question is that if God is almighty, great, and strong (The Quran: 2:106 and 59:23 24), and no one can change his words, how can the alleged change of the earlier writings be factual? By whom and how were they changed? When were they changed? Why did God permit these changes? For if it was God's will in the beginning to send his Word, why did He send it if he knew it would be immediately changed? Why did He give it to us in the first place if in His omnipotence He knew it would be immediately distorted? There is an obvious contradiction here.

    On the other hand, if we stick to the idea that God was too weak to protect his word, how can we then justify the reliability of the Quran? Couldn't it also have experienced similar changes as perhaps previous writings have experienced? This possibility must equally be taken into account if it is claimed that the texts of the Gospels experienced a change:

... Basil answered: - We believe these words because we are Muslims. No one tries to investigate the possibility of forgery in a neutral and objective way, asking: Did God send down the Old Testament, the Psalms and the New Testament from heaven? When I answered in the affirmative, Basil continued: - Is there anyone who can change God's words? I reminded him of the verses in the Quran that mention that God's words cannot be changed. Neither humans nor angels can change them, because God is omnipotent, almighty, and most powerful, and He protects His books.  To this Basil remarked, “So, nobody can change His words; so how did He allow all his Holy books to be falsified, except one? How did He allow the falsification of the Old Testament that was sent to Moses? How did He allow the changing of the Psalms that were sent to David? And finally, how did God allow the changing of the Bible that was sent to Jesus (Isa)? Is it possible that 600 years later, when many generations had already lived and died with fake Holy books, God were to send a Book that no one can falsify? Suddenly God becomes Omnipotent and Almighty and suddenly He preserves His Word from falsifiers! For a long time, all His books had been falsified and His servants had gone astray.  How then could God, who was not able to protect His own Book from forgeries, changes and corruption, be able to protect the people who worship Him?

    I thought about these questions and I had no solutions or an answer that would save God from the difficulty that He had caused Himself. (1)

When were the changes made, who made them, and where – Muslims cannot provide an answer to this

As stated, many Muslims believe that the Bible has changed in many ways. They especially consider the passages related to Jesus' Divinity, the Trinity and Jesus' death on the cross to be such. Instead, they can consider as reliable and the word of God a few books of the prophets and those episodes related to God's unity, judgment and reward. They generally accept these teachings.

    The problem with the previous thinking is just that no Muslim can say when the changes were made, who made them and where. If it is claimed that changes have taken place, an easy answer should be found to these questions. Likewise, the original texts to which changes were later made should be found. However, it has been impossible. A former Muslim talks about the same topic:

“Begum,” the man began, “is one thing that bothers me in those Muslims who convert to Christianity. And that is the Bible. After all, we all know that the New Testament of Christians has been modified from the text God gave it. ”

   He presented me with the main accusations of Islam against the Bible; it had been altered, he said, so that today's version was unreliable. According to Muslims, the original had been in accordance with the Qur’an.

   “I hope you don’t find me superficial,” I said, “but I’d really like to know one thing. I have often heard people say that the Bible has been altered, but no one has ever told who has done it. When were the changes made and at to what points? ”

   My guest leaned back and looked up at the logs on the ceiling and tapped the armrest of the chair with his finger. He did not answer. I am afraid that I took the opportunity of the case, because, as far as I know, there are no answers to these questions.

   “Listen,” I continued, citing my research on the matter. - The British Museum has ancient Bibles published about 300 years before Muhammad was born. In all matters where Christianity and Islam differ, the text of these old translations is similar to that in the present Bible. Experts say that in no important fundamentals has the Bible changed from the original. For me personally, it is very important because for me the Bible has become a living word. It speaks to my soul and nourishes it. It guides me… ”

   My guest stood up in the middle of my sentence.

   “… And so,” I continued, “it is really very important for me to know where I am being deceived. Can you say? ”

   “You talk about the word as if it were a human being,” my guest said.

   “I believe Christ lives if you mean it,” I said. “The Qur’an says that Christ is the word of God. I think it would be interesting to talk about it with you even more. ”

   "I have to leave now." (2)

The following discussion is related to the same topic; how can a modern Muslim know what is the word of God and what is not? For when the general belief in Islam is that Muhammad is the seal of the prophets (33:40), after which no new revelation is given, where does the modern Muslim get his knowledge? How does he know which parts have changed and which have not, and which part is God's word and which is not? He should have concrete answers to these questions.

… Deedad sat next to Sjöberg and someone asked him a question:

   - What do you think of yesterday's debate?

   "Yes, by the way, but I had a too tight schedule," Deedad lamented. - Sjöberg had an advantage because I had to speak first.

   - So you admit you lost the debate, someone threw.

   - I didn't say that.

   The Dagen reporter then asked:

   - Yesterday you said that the Bible is not the word of God. Today, you said something along the lines that it is. What do you mean? Which of your statements is true?

   - Well, I meant that part of the Bible is the word of God and part is not…

   Then Abu's hand bounced up. As a former Muslim, he knew what Deedad was aiming for. After getting right to speak, he turned to the professor and said:

   - You just said that the Bible is partly the word of God and partly not. I am a former Muslim. I've got my sins forgiven through faith in Jesus of the Bible. I would like to ask you, how do you know what part of the Bible is the word of God and what is not? Have you received a revelation from God about this?

   The question was awkward for Muslims. Abu knew that according to the Qur’an, no new divine revelation was promised after Muhammad. If Deedad replied that he had received divine revelation, he would be in conflict with the Qur’an. If he replied that he had not been notified, he would still be moving on weak ice. Deedad was silent for a couple of minutes and thought. Then he looked at Abu intently and blurted out:

   - The next question. (3)

Evidence for the authenticity and permanence of biblical texts

Although many Muslims believe that the Bible is not in its original form, but that its text was changed at a later stage, however, one can find several evidences against this. They are e.g. the following things:

The abundant number of manuscripts. Although the original texts of the New Testament are not preserved, the fact is that many copies of them have survived from very early times, indicating that the text form has remained the same. The general rule in this area is that the more manuscripts of a text have survived, the more certain the original form of the text can be determined.

    Thus, at least more than 24,000 manuscript versions of the New Testament or part of it have survived in Greek and other early versions (100-400 AD). This number is huge when compared to the fact that Homer's Iliad (of which there are only 643 surviving documents) is second in terms of ancient texts, that is, the difference is almost 40 times. Similarly, there are only 10 surviving documents about Caesar's Gallic War, which is an extremely small number compared to the New Testament, and yet no one doubts the reliability of this work. The following list shows the number of surviving copies (information from Christianity: Hoax or History? by Josh McDowell):

Number of copies / Work
10 / Caesar
20 / Livius
7 / Plato (tetralogy])
20 / Tacitus (annals)
1 / Tacitus (smaller works)
7 / Pliny the Younger (history)
8 / Thukydides (history)
8 / Suetonius (De Vita Caesarum)
8 / Herodotus (history)
    / Horace
193 / Sophocles
2 / Lucretius
3 / Catullus
9 / Euripides
200 / Demosthenes
49 / Aristotle
10 / Aristophanes
643 / Homer (Ilias)
More than 24,000 / New Testament

Short time interval. The time interval between an original text and its earliest copy can provide insight into the quality of its preservation. The shorter the interval between the original text and the earliest found copy, the more likely the text has remained the same.

    The New Testament is in a good position in this area as well. While in the case of ancient literature the time interval from the earliest copy to the writing of the original text itself is on average 1000 years, in the case of the New Testament it is only a few decades (depending on when the Gospel of John was written). It is many times less than in these other texts. This short time interval and the large number of preserved copies prove that New Testament texts have survived in their original form.

   The following list shows the interval between original and earliest copy of various texts of antiquity (information from Christianity: Hoax or History? by Josh McDowell):

The time interval between the original text and the earliest copy
1000 y / Caesar
            / Livius
1200 y/ Plato (tetralogy])
1000 y/ Tacitus (annals)
900 y/ Tacitus (smaller works)
750 y/ Pliny the Younger (history)
1300 y/ Thukydides (history)
800 y/ Suetonius (De Vita Caesarum)
1300 y/ Herodotus (history)
900 y/ Horatius
1400 y/ Sophocles
100 y/ Lucretius
1600 y/ Catullus
1500 y/ Euripides
1300 y/ Demosthenes
1400 y/ Aristotle
1200 y/ Aristophanes
500 y/ Homer (Iliad)
25 y/ New Testament

The same text. While many old manuscripts of the New Testament have survived, they are characterized by the fact that there are very few differences between them. These differences are so insignificant that they do not matter from a practical point of view. When it comes to the uniformity of the texts, F.C. Grant stated:

"It is obvious to the observant reader that... checking has not affected any doctrine of the Christian faith, for the simple reason that not a single one has emerged from among the thousands of ways of reading the manuscripts that requires a revision of the Christian doctrine." (4)

Sir Frederic Kenyon has said the same thing: 

The interval between the original writing and the earliest surviving written evidence becomes so small that it has no factual significance, and the final justification for the suspicion that the Bible has substantially changed in its journey has now been removed. The authenticity of the books of the New Testament, that they are genuine and unchanged, can now be deemed completely confirmed. (5)

Quotes from the New Testament. Other evidence pointing to the originality of the books in the New Testament is the early church fathers’ quotes from them. Even if copies or parts of the New Testament texts had not survived, we could still reconstruct nearly the whole New Testament (except for 11 verses) from these quotes that have been preserved. According to research done by the British Museum, it is possible to find about 89,000 passages of the New Testament from among the writings of the early church. This number is very significant, and indicates how much the New Testament was used already in the early times. As to the number of these references, Sir Frederic Kenyon stated:

We cannot stress too much that the Bible’s – in this case especially the New Testament’s – main textual content is certain. The number of the manuscripts of the New Testament, early translations and quotes that earlier writers of the church have used is so great that it is practically sure that for every passage that has been under suspicion, the right reading has been preserved at least in some of these texts. This cannot be said about any other ancient book in the world. (6)

THE TEXT OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. The previous paragraphs have mainly dealt with the text of the New Testament. However, when it comes to the preservation of the text of the Old Testament unchanged, there is evidence for that as well. The following two things can be mentioned among them:

Quotations in the New Testament. Of course, one good piece of evidence is that there are quotations and references to the Old Testament on the New Testament side. There are even hundreds of these quotations and they appear both in Jesus' speeches and in e.g. Paul's letters.

    What is essential in the hundreds of quotations is that they confirm the textual form of the Old Testament. They show that the texts remained the same just as the quotations from the New Testament by the church fathers confirm the texts of the New Testament. They show that the texts of the Old Testament – of which the most recent reached their final form about 400 years earlier – were not changed.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are another strong proof that the texts have remained the same. These scrolls, which were found near the Dead Sea and the oldest of which date back to the 3rd century BC, are not much different from today's books. On the contrary, these scrolls, which have been found in all the books of the Old Testament except the Book of Esther, are very similar to those of today. Thus, the idea that the text of the Old Testament or the entire Bible has changed substantially is baseless and cannot be proven. We can well believe that the texts have remained essentially the same.

Archaeology confirms the history of the Bible

The fact that the events of the New Testament and the Bible are true is also confirmed by other sources. Archaeology, the notes of historians and the mentions of the church fathers have repeatedly supported the historicity of the Bible. They mention the names of dozens of rulers, other persons and localities, several of which were initially known only on the basis of the Bible. It is a strong testimony that these things really happened.

    The next quote refers to Luke's accuracy as a historian (the other gospels tell the same things). If he was accurate in describing relatively insignificant details - the accuracy of which can be confirmed from other sources - why would he not have been accurate in describing miracles or those things that cannot be confirmed from outside? Only an unbelieving bias, which many Muslims have, prevents them from accepting this view.

In a sense, this is exactly what archaeology does. If ancient historical details have been proven to be correct time and time again, we should also trust the stories of the historian in question that cannot be confirmed in the same way.

   I asked for a professional opinion from McRay. – What do you think: does archaeology prove or disprove the reliability of the New Testament when archaeologists study the details included in the stories?

   McRay immediately replied. – The studies make the New Testament more reliable, there is no question of that. Just like any ancient document is more reliable if archaeologists notice when proceeding with their digs that the author provided correct information about a location or event. (...)

   – The consensus among both liberal and conservative scientists is that Luke was a very faithful historian, McRay replied. – He was a learned man, he was eloquent, his command of Greek was almost classical, he wrote like a well-educated man and archaeological findings have proven time and time again that Luke was very precise in his writings.

   McRay added that in many cases related to the harbour stories, scientists at first thought that some of Luke's references were false, but later findings have confirmed that he wrote the information correctly. (...)  One prominent archaeologist carefully studied Luke's references of 32 countries, 54 cities and nine islands without finding a single error. (7)

The following quotes point in the same direction. They show how archeology and other historical sources have repeatedly confirmed the historicity of the New Testament and the Bible. These biblical events have a solid historical basis. This is also another confirmation that the texts of the Bible have been preserved in their original form. It is justified to stick to this concept.

The famous archaeologist William Albright says, “The historical knowledge of the Bible is true in a way that modern Bible critique cannot even imagine. As my research has progressed, it has become clear to me that the Bible is a very reliable historical source. Its narratives are not myths but historical documents that are equally with the truth in the smallest details. The excessive skepticism that the leading historical trend felt towards the Bible has consistently lost its testimony. More and more new discoveries have proved the Bible to be true in countless details and have increased the value of the Bible as a historical source. ” (8)

It is important to understand that archaeological excavations have produced a lot of evidence that clearly proves that the Bible is not filled with false information. To this day, none of the historical events of the Bible have been proven false on the basis of this evidence obtained by archaeological research. (9)

2. Did Jesus die on the cross?

Jesus' death on the cross is often a stumbling block or foolishness to people. During the time of Apostle Paul there was also this kind of a negative attitude, and that is why he wrote this:

- (1 Cor 1:18) For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but to us which are saved it is the power of God.

- (1 Cor 1:23-24) But we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness;

24 But to them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

- (Phil 3:18,19) For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.

It is exactly the same with Muslims today. They too might consider Jesus' death on the cross to be madness. It is simply impossible for them that a faithful servant of Allah should have been killed in this way. According to them, that would not have been considered appropriate for a prophet, and therefore it has been assumed that someone else, who looked like Jesus, died on the cross in His place, and that Jesus Himself was taken directly to heaven before that. This point of view, i.e. that Jesus was not nailed to the cross, is mainly justified by only one passage in the Quran, which is in Sura 4:

They denied the truth and uttered a monstrous falsehood against Mary. They declared: 'We have put to death the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, the apostle of God.' They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but they thought they did. Those that disagreed about him were in doupt concerning him; they knew nothing about him that was not sheer conjecture; they did not slay him for-certain. (4:156,157)

However, as far as this view is concerned, we can find several points that go against this claim. Let's study this issue through the next points:

Contradictory verses in the Quran regarding the death of Jesus

Although from one passage in the Quran (4:157) one can get the idea that Jesus did not die on the cross, some other passages in the Quran clearly speak in favor of Jesus' death. They show that he really died just like John the Baptist:

I was blessed on the day I was born, and blessed I shall be on the day of my death; and may peace be upon me on the day when I shall be raised to life.' Such was Jesus, the son of Mary. That is the whole truth, which they still doubt. (19:33,34) (also in the same Sura verse 15 is said about John the Baptist as next: Blessed was he on the day he was born and the day of his death; and may peace be on him when he is raised to life.)

He said: 'Jesus, I am about to cause you to die and lift you up to Me. I shall take you away from the unbelievers and exalt your followers above them till the Day of Resurrection. (3:55)

Then God will say: 'Jesus, son of Mary, did you ever say to mankind: "Worship me and my mother as gods besides God?"'... I told them only what You bade me. I said: "Serve God, my Lord and your Lord." I watched over them while living in their midst, and ever since You took me to Yourself. You have been watching them. You are the witness of all things. (5:116,117)

Furthermore, we can get an idea from the Quran that the violent death of prophets is also possible. The common notion that it would be unusual or shameful is contrary to what is written in the Quran:

To those that declare: 'God has commanded us to believe in no apostle unless he brings down fire to consume an offering,' say: 'Other apostles before me have come to you with veritable signs and worked the miracle you asked for. Why did you slay them, if what you say be true?' (3:183)

But they broke their covenant, denied the revelations of God, and killed the prophets unjustly. They said: 'Our hearts are sealed... (4:155)

Several non-biblical sources and historians confirm the death of Jesus on the cross as true

One good indication of Jesus' death on the cross is the history books. Some of them have clear markings of how Jesus was crucified by the procurator Pontius Pilate and during the reign of the emperor Tiberius. If this thing had not really happened, surely nothing would have been mentioned about it:

Historian Josephus: "Jesus lived in those times. (...) Many Jews and Greeks followed him. He was Christ. Provoked by our influential men Pilate, however, condemned him to death on the cross. However, those who had loved him before continued to be faithful to him."

Cornelius Tacitus: "The name had been given them according to a certain Christ, whom procurator Pontius Pilate condemned and nailed onto the cross in the reign of Tiberius."

Thallus, a Samaritan by birth, also referred to Jesus in his book as early as in 52 A.D. He thought that the darkness at the time of Jesus' crucifixion was the result of a solar eclipse.

The Talmud (Sanhedrin 43, a) mentions that Jesus was crucified on Easter.

Early apostolic fathers confirmed the death of Jesus on the cross as true in their writings

The best way to find out about the events of the past is through historical sources - especially if they date close to the events. A few sources that talk about the crucifixion of Jesus were already mentioned above.

    The apostolic fathers, who lived less than a hundred years after Jesus' death, have also referred to the crucifixion. If this event wasn't real, why would they have mentioned it? In general, there is no smoke without fire, and therefore there is reason to believe in the historicity of this event. It also leads to the fact that the revelation received by Muhammad does not rest on a historical basis, or that Muslims have misinterpreted the previous passage in the Quran.

Let us note, dearest brothers, how the Ruler continually shows us that the resurrection is a part of our future. The first fruit of this resurrection is that He has raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. (Clemens, the bishop of Rome, in his letter to the Corinthians 24:1)

God sent Christ and Christ sent the Apostles; both have taken place in good order by the will of God. 3. When the Apostles received their task, when they discovered the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and became stronger in faith in the word of God, they started to be filled with the Holy Spirit and preached the good news that the kingdom of God was at hand. 4. From country to country and from town to town they preached their message. (Clemens, the bishop of Rome, in his letter to the Corinthians 42:2-4)

In love the Ruler has taken charge of us. Jesus Christ, our Lord, was filled with love towards us, and for this reason He shed His blood for us by the will of God and gave His body for the sake of our bodies and in the same way He gave His soul for the sake of our souls. (Clemens, the bishop of Rome, in his letter to the Corinthians 49:6)

If those, who did this faced physical death, how much more he who by a bad doctrine spoils the faith in God, the faith on whose behalf Jesus Christ was crucified. This kind of a person has become unclean and he will have to go to the inextinguishable fire and also those who hear him. (Ignatius, in his letter to the Ephesians 16:2)

Instead, I wish that you could be completely sure of the birth and suffering and resurrection that took place during the governorship of Pontius Pilate. This was all put into effect in real life and by Jesus Christ, our hope; if only none of you would turn away from Him. (Ignatius, in his letter to Magnesias 11:1)

Be like deaf when someone speaks to you and does not know anything about Jesus Christ, who was of the family of David, born of Mary, who really lived, ate, and drank, really met persecution during the time of Pontius Pilate, was really crucified and died in front of those who are in Heaven, on Earth and under the Earth, 2. From him, who also really was raised from the dead when his Father raised him; in the same way the Father in Christ Jesus will also raise us who believe in Him, and without Him we have no real life. (Ignatius in his letter to the believers of Trallis 9:1, 2)

Yet you are completely convinced that He was born of the family of David, the Son of God from the will and power of God, born of a virgin, baptized by John so that He would fulfill all righteousness. 2. He really suffered during the time of Pontius Pilate and tetrarch Herod, was nailed on the tree for us. His suffering before God by which we are born was so that He, through His resurrection, would raise His saints and believers, whether Jew or Gentile, to be the one and only body of His church.” (Ignatius in his letter to the believers in Smyrna 1:1, 2)

It is thus right to keep away from such ignorant people and not to talk about them privately or publicly, but instead hold onto the prophets and especially to the Gospel, in which the sufferings and resurrection of Jesus have clearly been presented to us. (Ignatius in his letter to the believers in Smyrna 7:2)

Wait for Him who is above time, timeless, invisible. He who for us has become visible, who cannot be touched, who is above suffering but has submitted to suffering for our sake and who has endured everything possible for our sake. (Ignatius in his letter to Polycarpos 3:2)

In our Lord Jesus Christ, in Him, who showed perseverance and went to death for the sake of our sins. Him God raised and freed from the pains of Hades. (Polycarpos in his letter to the Philippians 1:2)

Let us hold constantly and firmly to our hope and our seal of righteousness who is Christ Jesus, He who carried our sins in His own body on the tree, He who committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth. He endured all for us, so that we would have life in Him. (Polycarpos 8:1)

There is also the next point, my brothers. If the Lord was submitted to suffer for us, even though He is the Lord of the whole universe, and to whom God said in the foundation of the world, Let us make man in our image and likeness; how could He submit to suffer in the hands of people? Learn this. 6. The prophets received their gift from Him and they prophesied about Him. And when He had to appear in flesh to destroy death and give an example of the resurrection of the dead, He agreed to that. 7. He did it to fulfill the promise made to the fathers, but also to prepare people for Himself and to indicate while He was still on Earth that after His resurrection He would exercise judgment Himself. 8. He also preached through teaching Israel and performing wonders and miracles and showed a special love for Israel. (The letter of Barnabas 5:5-8)

Eyewitnesses confirmed the death of Jesus on the cross as true, so that Peter could mention this in his public speech to the inhabitants of Jerusalem

Although many Muslims believe that Jesus was not crucified, the Bible says otherwise. Crucifixion is mentioned in many places in the Bible. In addition, it was possible to plead that people ourselves or others had been eyewitnesses.

    A good question is, should we trust witnesses who lived 600-2000 years later, who have no personal knowledge of the events, or should we trust witnesses who were eyewitnesses themselves and lived at the same time as these things happened? Or, if someone now thinks, that he knows more than these original witnesses, wouldn't that be the same as if a person, who has been a 1000 kilometres from the place of a traffic accident, came to be the witness of this accident "with his precise information"? How could anyone take such a person seriously if he were to testify?

- (John 19:30-35) When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) sought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

32 Then came the soldiers, and broke the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.

33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they broke not his legs:

34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and immediately came there out blood and water.

35 And he that saw it bore record, and his record is true: and he knows that he said true, that you might believe.

- (Luke 23:32-33) And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.

33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

- (Acts 2:22-25) You men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the middle of you, as you yourselves also know:

23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

24 Whom God has raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be held of it.

25 For David speaks concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:"

Muslims have tried to offer a substitution theory in place of Jesus' death on the cross, meaning that someone else died instead of Jesus. There is no proper evidence for this matter

As comes to the crucifixion of Jesus, a theory has been presented claiming that someone else, such as Judas Iscariot or Simon Cyrene was on the cross instead of Jesus. It has been claimed that Jesus Himself was taken directly to Heaven, while God threw his appearance either on Judas or on Simon Cyrene, and therefore either of them came to be executed in Jesus' place.

    However, when it comes to this theory, there are some glaring flaws. They suggest that the substitute theory cannot be true:

The fate of Judas. As for the option that Judas Iscariot was on the cross instead of Jesus, there is no support for it in the Bible. The Bible shows very clearly how Judas died by his own hand when he hanged himself. It happened shortly after he repented of betraying Jesus:

- (Matt 27:3-5) Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see you to that.

5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

God's honesty. The Bible also does not mention anything about Simon being on the cross instead of Jesus. It doesn't suggest that and surely Simon himself would have strongly objected and reacted if that had happened.

   We can also ask would God have played a dirty trick like this on people, as He does not allow lying to others? Would He not be deceitful if He did this?

   What about Jesus, the prophet of God? How could He have allowed this kind of a deception to take place? It seems impossible.

Jesus' own words. One good proof of the crucifixion of Jesus are His own words that He said already long before His crucifixion. He said that He Himself would give His life on the cross for the sake of our sins:

- (Matt 16:21) From that time forth began Jesus to show to his disciples, how that he must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

- (Matt 20:28) Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

- (John 10:9-11,17-19) I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

10 The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.

17 Therefore does my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

18 No man takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

19 There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings.

The violent death of Jesus, the Messiah, was prophesied in advance, and Jesus Himself spoke of it beforehand

One thing related to the death on the cross of Jesus, or the Messiah, are the several prophecies spoken about Him in advance. These prophecies refer to both His death and the timing of it (Dan 9:24-26). It should have happened before the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple (AD 70). Let's look at some such prophecies:

Daniel's year-weeks prophecy. First of all, Daniel 9:24-26 says that the Messiah will experience a violent death. Daniel clearly says that He will be destroyed. Daniel also says that this should happen before the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple.

   Thus, when it is later known from history that the Roman Titus and his troops razed Jerusalem and its sanctuary to the ground in 70 AD. (which is still one of the greatest mass destructions in history), the Messiah would have had to come before that and also die - "shall Messiah be cut off". Certainly, Jesus as a person and His death on the cross best fit this prophecy.

- (Dan 9:24-26) Seventy weeks are determined on your people and on your holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem to the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and three score and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

26 And after three score and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and to the end of the war desolations are determined.

Zechariah 12:10 and Isaiah 53. When the previous prophecy referred to the violent death of the Messiah - "shall Messiah be cut off" -there are also a couple of other clear prophecies that refer to the same thing and how He, the Messiah, was wounded because of our sins - this is the basic teaching of the New Testament. These prophecies appear in the books of Zechariah and Isaiah, and they say the following. The fulfillment of the prophecies is also included, i.e. how they were fulfilled in Jesus' life and death:

Prophecy:

- (Isa 53:4-12); Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was on him; and with his stripes we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opens not his mouth.

8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he has put him to grief: when you shall make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he has poured out his soul to death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Fulfillment:

- (Matt 27:31) And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.

- (John 19:18) Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the middle.

Prophecy:

- (Zec 12:10) And I will pour on the house of David, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look on me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

Fulfillment:

- (John 19:34-37) But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and immediately came there out blood and water.

35 And he that saw it bore record, and his record is true: and he knows that he said true, that you might believe.

36 For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.

37 And again another scripture said, They shall look on him whom they pierced.

3. "You serve three gods"

One of the most common beliefs among Muslims is that Christians have three separate gods; God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit (or Mary) whom they serve. The following quote from a former Muslim refers to this:

What foolishness! I swear by the Prophet that you Christians have odd fancies. Is it not true that you have many gods? You say that you serve one true God, even though you speak of three gods. How can you divide Allah into three gods or how could Allah be composed of three persons? I have heard that the Christians speak about the Father God and Jesus as if he were God, and about Mary as if she was the mother of God. Is God married? How could it be said in an intellectual world that the great and powerful God had a son? How abusive it is to speak about Allah's mother! The blessed Quran tells us very clearly, "He, Allah, is One. Allah is He on Whom all depend. He begets not, nor is He begotten. And none is like Him." (Sura 112) (10)

Muslims believe that Christians serve three gods, even though according to the Bible there is only one God

Even though the Muslims believe that the Christians serve three gods, this is not true. (Actually, it would be much more correct to say that the Muslims believe in polytheism: almost on every second page of the Quran, God is referred to in the plural form, "we", as if there were many gods. The next verse from the Quran is a good example of how the Quran teaches about God in the plural form, "In six days We created the heavens and the earth and all that lies between them; nor were We ever wearied.", 50:38) The Bible clearly says both in the Old and New Testament that there is only one God. This is said in numerous passages of the Bible:

- (Deut 4:35) To you it was showed, that you might know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him.

- (Isa 45:5-6) I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded you, though you have not known me:

6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.

- (Isa 45:21) Tell you, and bring them near; yes, let them take counsel together: who has declared this from ancient time? who has told it from that time?  have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Savior; there is none beside me.

- (Isa 46:9) Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,

- (1 Tim 1:17) Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

- (Acts 14:15) And saying, Sirs, why do you these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach to you that you should turn from these vanities to the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:

- (Eph 4:5-6) One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

- (Jam 2:19) You believe that there is one God; you do well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

The Quran 29:46. It is curious that also the Quran proves that the followers of the Book, the Christians, have one God - the belief of many Muslims thus goes against their own holy book. The Quran clearly says, 29:46: "Be courteous when you argue with the People of the Book, except with those among them why do evil. Say: "We believe in that which is revealed to us and which was revealed to you. Our God and your God is one. To him we surrender ourselves.'

Even the Quran teaches the doctrine of the Trinity

Although it is difficult for Muslims to believe in the Trinity, that is, that one God has revealed himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, this doctrine even appears in some passages of the Quran. This is evidenced by the following examples:

The Quran teaches the pre-existence of Jesus before He came to earth

The Quran teaches that Jesus, who in this book is called the Word of God and the Spirit of God, has been with God even before He came to earth. It shows that Jesus is God's own Word (Kalimat Allah, which expresses the speaker's essence, his innermost being) and His Spirit, which was then sent to earth.

    This concept is evident from the passage in the Quran that talks about how God gave His Word to Mary. It refers to how the Word must have existed before - before God supernaturally transferred him to Mary's womb, and which made it possible for Jesus to be born as a man. This passage of the Quran says:

People of the Book, do not transgress the bounds of your religion. Speak nothing but the truth about God. The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, was no more than God's apostle and His Word, which He cast to Mary: a spirit from Him. believe in God and… (4:171)

The notion that Jesus has been with the Father even before He came to earth is also evident in the following passages from the Quran. They show that Jesus was not just an ordinary person, but that He came from heaven to here on earth as the Word and Spirit of God. These passages refer to his divinity and earlier existence:

The angels said to Mary: "God bids you rejoice in a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary. He shall be noble in this world and in the hereafter, and shall be favoured by God. (3:45)

People of the Book, do not transgress the bounds of your religion. Speak nothing but the truth about God. The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, was no more than God's apostle and His Word, which He cast to Mary. believe in God and… (4:171)

He will instruct him in the Scriptures and in wisdom, in the Torah and in the Gospel, and send him forth as an apostle to the Israelites. He will say: "I bring you a sign from your Lord. From clay I will make for you the likeness of a bird. I shall breathe into it and, by God's leave, it shall become a living bird. By God's leave I shall heal the blind man and the leper, and raise the dead to life… I bring you a sign from your Lord: therefore fear God and obey me. (3:48-50)

And of Jesus the son of Mary, who said to Israelites: 'I am sent forth to you from God to confirm the Torah already revealed, and… (61:6)

People in Muslim work share their own experiences on the same topic. They meet Muslims who have typical misconceptions about the position of Jesus and what is possible for God and what is not. They explain to their hearers how God performed a supernatural miracle: through the Holy Spirit, He transferred His own Word to the womb of Mary, and this enabled His Son to be born human:

During the Muslim events in Stockholm and during their travels in Muslim countries, Abu, Nike and Tepo were asked the same questions over and over again:

   - How could God have a Son? After all, God is not getting married. I don’t think God can be a trinity because he is one. Why and how could God supposedly have become man?

   While working with Muslims, the boys learned that when talking to them, figurative language was also important. However, one had to be careful about it, as the oriental thought model is quite black and white. Defining a parable and reality can sometimes be difficult for a Muslim.

   - Who is the mother of Jesus? Abu asked sometimes.

   The question was usually answered quickly: - Maria.

   - Well, then who is Jesus' father?

   This question was usually followed by a confused silence, and then a surprising answer: - Allah, God. The boys then explained to their listeners how God performed a supernatural miracle. He transferred through His Holy Spirit His own Word to the womb of Mary, and this enabled His Son to be born human. (The Qur’an also calls Jesus the Word of God.) Then this Word began to live and clothe the body that God prepared for His Son in Mary’s womb. Once to Nike's mind came a picture.

   - If someone is going to go into space, he must have an astronaut's suit. If someone is going to go to the depths of the sea, he must have a diver’s suit.

   If anyone still doubted God's becoming human, Nikke asked:

   - Is it possible for man to become God?

   The answer usually came from the pharmacy shelf: - No.

   - Well, is it possible for God to become human?

   Again followed by silence and a surprising answer: - Yes. In the event that someone thought that God could not become human, he was told, “Then God is not omnipotent. (11)

What about the Islamic tradition? There, Jesus is repeatedly referred to as the Word of God and the Spirit of God, just as the Quran shows. In addition, a few sources tell about his previous existence. He existed long before he was born as a human on earth. The following are a few examples of such Islamic literature. In the first of them, a well-known expositor of Islamic doctrine, az-Zamakhshari, speaks:

lll:22] Jesus is called the Word of God and a word from Him because he came into being from His word and at His command, without the influence of a father or semen. He is also called the Spirit of God and a spirit from Him because he is spiritual that became into being without any other spiritual influence.(az-Zamakhshari, Kashshaf I:315)

Another significant word by which the Qur’an describes Jesus is Ruh Allah, the Spirit of God… One of the more weighty comments on this can be found in Muslim traditions, that phrase already quoted above: “He (Jesus) walked in the midst of spirits. We sent him into Mary. ”(12)

    What is important here is that it supports the Qur’an’s revelation of the existence of Jesus before He was physically born on earth. Many commentators on ancient Islamism have come to a very similar conclusion.

    Al-Baidawi, for example, has written: “… possessing a spirit that originated from God, who did not flow into Him the usual ways. It is called spirit because it is the source of life for the dead and the human heart. ” (13)

    Al-Razi has stated, "He (Jesus) is the Spirit of God because He gives life to the world." (14) (15)

The designations Word of God and Spirit of God in the Quran refer to the eternity and divinity of Jesus

The fact that Jesus is called the Word of God (Kalimat Allah) and the Spirit of God (Ruh Allah) in the Quran proves his eternity and divinity. This is manifested in at least the following ways:

The Spirit of God is eternal 

If we stick to the view that God is eternal, his Spirit must also be eternal, and not, for example, only length of a man's lifetime. Therefore, when Jesus is called in the Quran the Spirit of God who has come from God, we can assume that He is also eternal and one with God. The designation "Spirit of God" refers to His divinity and eternity.

The Word of God is eternal

If we hold to the view that God is eternal, surely his Word must also be eternal. It must be eternal because it is unlikely that God would have been silent until Jesus, his Word, was born on earth. He must have spoken before it (just as we humans speak simply because we exist), because with His word He created everything and because people already lived on earth before Jesus.

    So we can assume that Jesus is eternal and one with God the Father. It is the only reasonable conclusion if we call Him the Word of God and if we assume that God spoke even before Jesus' earthly existence.

The Word of God and the essence of God

When the title "Word of God" is used, it is important to note that the Arabic text uses the word "kalimah" for it, meaning "the essence of the speaker", his "innermost". The Quran does not use another possible Arabic word, "qawlum", meaning "a word or statement", which does not refer to the essence of the speaker.

    What this means is that Jesus must be more than a mere word from God. Actually, He must be the perfect manifestation of God, the will of God or the brightness of God's glory, as the Bible says. The Quran so refers to this and teaches in the same way as the Bible that we can properly understand the will and essence of God only through Jesus. The following Bible verses refer to the same thing:

- (Hebr 1:3) Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

- (2 Cor 4:3-4) But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

4 In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine to them.

- (John 10:30-33) I and my Father are one.

31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.

32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do you stone me?

33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone you not; but for blasphemy; and because that you, being a man, make yourself God.

- (John 12:44-45) Jesus cried and said, He that believes on me, believes not on me, but on him that sent me.

45 And he that sees me sees him that sent me.

- (John 14:8-9) Philip said to him, Lord, show us the Father, and it suffises us.

9 Jesus said to him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet have you not known me, Philip? he that has seen me has seen the Father; and how say you then, Show us the Father?

Jesus – the Son of God

When it comes to the name "Son of God" used for Jesus, many Muslims understand it from a physical point of view, meaning that God got married and from this union a son, Jesus, was born. (Many Muslims think that the Trinity means God, Mary, and Jesus.) They base this on an old Arabic belief that God can be sexually connected with people and can thus have children who are called "sons of God".

   However, this perception is not true. That is not true, because the Bible speaks of the preexistence of Jesus even before he was born here on earth. He existed long before Mary existed. According to the Bible, he has been with God since the beginning of time and then only came here at a certain moment - the Word became man - as several verses of the Bible show. Let's look at these verses:

- (John 1:1- 3,14) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelled among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

- (1 John 1:1-2) That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked on, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show to you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested to us;)

- (Phil 2:5-8) Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

7 But made himself of no reputation, and took on him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross.

- (Hebr 2:14,17) For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

17 Why in all things it behooved him to be made like to his brothers, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Secondly, it is good to understand that when the Bible uses the word "Son", it does not mean that God is married. It is only one way to describe issues. The Bible uses language that is easy for us to understand and that best explains the matter.

    Such descriptions occur elsewhere in life as well. Here are some examples:

• Mahatma Gandhi has been called the father of the Indian nation, even though he is not physically its father.

• The Egyptians are called the sons of the Nile, but that does not mean that the river Nile married and had children.

• Bedouins are called sons of the wilderness, which also does not mean that the wilderness married and had children.

The high status and divinity of Jesus are indicated by the worship of the early Christian church, the apostolic fathers, the Old Testament prophecies about Him, and that Jesus Himself considered Himself divine

As noted in the previous chapter, several historical sources point to the crucifixion of Jesus. The information given by the Qur'an contradicts these sources.

    An almost similar thing is the question of whether Jesus is the Son of God and one with God. Muslims think that Jesus, an important prophet of God, could not initially proclaim such a doctrine, nor his disciples, but that this matter has been born later.

   Here, however, it is good to pay attention to historical sources again; are they right or is the Quran based on Muhammad's revelation right? Do the early historical sources teach the high status of Jesus or not? Let's look at some examples.

The Quran itself speaks of Jesus as the Word of God and the Spirit of God, which has come from heaven from God. It refers to the eternal and high nature of Jesus, so something about Jesus' important position has been preserved in the Quran as well. This teaching has not completely disappeared.

From Pliny Secundus, most commonly known as Pliny the Younger, who was a contemporary of Tacitus and Suetonius (AD 61 - 120), we can find a mention of Jesus. In one of his letters to Emperor Trajan, he talks about Christians and their worship. They regarded Christ as King:

They used to meet on a certain day before the dawn of the day, and they in turn performed a hymn of praise to Christ as if to the king, and they vowed not to engage in any criminal activity but rather that they do not steal, rob, or commit adultery, and do not betray trust or refuse to return the funds entrusted to them in their possession, if so required. After doing this, they dispersed and then they gathered again later for a common meal, but the food was quite ordinary and harmless.

The Old Testament prophecies, which existed before the time of Jesus, refer to the Son of God and how He will born in Bethlehem and whose origin is from of old, from everlasting.

- (Isaiah 9:6) For to us a child is born, to us a son is given: and the government shall be on his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

- (Isaiah 7:14) Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

- (Mic 5:2) But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, though you be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall he come forth to me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

The angel Gabriel named the child born to Mary as the Son of the Highest. In addition, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, as prophesied centuries earlier in Micah's prophecy:

- (Luke 1:26-35) And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

28 And the angel came in to her, and said, Hail, you that are highly favored, the Lord is with you: blessed are you among women.

29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

30 And the angel said to her, Fear not, Mary: for you have found favor with God.

31 And, behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name JESUS.

32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give to him the throne of his father David:

33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

34 Then said Mary to the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

35 And the angel answered and said to her, The Holy Ghost shall come on you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God.

- (Matt 1:18,22,23) Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

- (Matt 2:1-6) Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

5 And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,

6 And you Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, are not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of you shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

Jesus Himself considered Himself the Son of God and that he is one with the Father. That was the reason He died:

- (John 9:35-41) Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said to him, Do you believe on the Son of God?

36 He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?

37 And Jesus said to him, You have both seen him, and it is he that talks with you.

38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.

39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.

40 And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said to him, Are we blind also?

41 Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you should have no sin: but now you say, We see; therefore your sin remains.Ja

- (John 10:30-33) I and my Father are one.

31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.

32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do you stone me?

33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone you not; but for blasphemy; and because that you, being a man, make yourself God.

- (Mark 14:61-64) But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said to him, Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?

62 And Jesus said, I am: and you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

63 Then the high priest rent his clothes, and said, What need we any further witnesses?

64 You have heard the blasphemy: what think you? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.

Apostolic fathers. When the Quran referred to how the Word of God became man, the Apostolic fathers also speak of it. Their letters, written a few decades after Jesus' death, refer to his eternal nature:

There is One who is Doctor, physical and spiritual, who had been born and unborn, God in flesh, real life that came to die, born both of Mary and of God, first under suffering, then outside of it, Jesus Christ, our Lord. (Ignatius, in his letter to the Ephesians 7:2)

For our God Jesus Christ was conceived in the womb by Mary according to a dispensation, of the seed David but also of the Holy Ghost and He was born and was baptized that by His passion He might cleanse water

 (Letter from Ignatius to the Ephesians 18: 2)

Do ye therefore all run together as into one temple of God, as to one altar, as to one Jesus Christ, who came forth from one Father, and is with and has gone to one. (Letter from Ignatius to the Magnesians 7: 2)

Wait for Him who is above time, timeless, invisible. He who for us has become visible, who cannot be touched, who is above suffering but has submitted to suffering for our sake and who has endured everything possible for our sake. (Ignatius in his letter to Polycarpos 3:2)

Yet you are completely convinced that He was born of the family of David, the Son of God from the will and power of God, born of a virgin, baptized by John so that He would fulfill all righteousness. 2. He really suffered during the time of Pontius Pilate and tetrarch Herod, was nailed on the tree for us. His suffering before God by which we are born was so that He, through His resurrection, would raise His saints and believers, whether Jew or Gentile, to be the one and only body of His church.” (Ignatius in his letter to the believers in Smyrna 1:1, 2)

There is also the next point, my brothers. If the Lord was submitted to suffer for us, even though He is the Lord of the whole universe, and to whom God said in the foundation of the world, Let us make man in our image and likeness; how could He submit to suffer in the hands of people? Learn this. 6. The prophets received their gift from Him and they prophesied about Him. And when He had to appear in flesh to destroy death and give an example of the resurrection of the dead, He agreed to that. 7. He did it to fulfill the promise made to the fathers, but also to prepare people for Himself and to indicate while He was still on Earth that after His resurrection He would exercise judgment Himself. 8. He also preached through teaching Israel and performing wonders and miracles and showed a special love for Israel. (The letter of Barnabas 5:5-8)

The personality and divinity of the Holy Spirit appear in many passages of the Quran

While it is possible to find several such places in the Quran that refer to the divinity and eternal existence of the second person of the Godhead, Jesus, similar references can also be found in the Quran to the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit. These passages are almost similar to what the Bible teaches about the Holy Spirit and refer to his personality. Let's look at it in the light of a few examples:

The Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus

First of all, it should be noted that we can find the name "Holy Spirit" from the Quran. It is the same name as it appears in the Bible. It shows that even according to the Quran, the Holy Spirit exists, because it is mentioned. The following passages of the Quran related to the life of Jesus speak well of the Holy Spirit: 

To Moses We gave the Scriptures and after him We sent other apostles. We gave Jesus the son of Mary veritable signs and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit... (2:87)

Of these messengers We have exalted some above others. To some God spoke directly; others He raised to a lofty status. We gave Jesus the son of Mary veritable signs, and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit... (2:253)

God will say: 'Jesus, son of Mary, remember the favour I have bestowed on you and on your mother: how I strengthened you with the Holy spirit that you preached to men in your cradle and in the prime of manhood; how I instructed you in the Book and in wisdom, in the Torah and in the Gospel; how by My leave you fashioned from clay the likeness of a bird and breathed into it that, by My leave, it became a living bird; how, by My leave, you healed the blind man and the leper, and by My leave restored the dead to life; how I protected you from the Israelites when you had come to them with clear signs: when those of them who disbelieved declared: "This is but plain sorcery" (5:110)

The Holy Spirit in the life of Mary

Some of the Quran's references to the Holy Spirit are connected with Mary. These following passages clearly explain how God blew His own Spirit into Mary. The passages in question cannot mean the angel Gabriel, because the angel did not go into Mary. (Some Muslims explaining Islam have tried to claim that the Holy Spirit in some passages would mean Gabriel. However, it is difficult to find any clear support for this, and it also means arbitrary changing of the original name.) Neither can it mean blowing the breath of life into a dead person, because Mary was alive - it must mean God's own Spirit. These passages say:

And of the woman who kept her chastity. We breathed into her of Our spirit, and made her and her son a sign to all men. (21:91)

And in Mary, 'Imran's daughter, who preserved her chastity and into whose womb We breathed of Our spirit; who put her trust in the words of her Lord and His scriptures, and was truly devout. (66:12)

The personality of the Holy Spirit

There are passages in the Quran that confirm the personality of the Holy Spirit. According to the Quran, the Holy Spirit sends, presents, strengthens, leads and brings, that is, does things that would not be possible for a mere impersonal force. The Quran also speaks about the faithfulness of the Holy Spirit which is possible only for a person. These passages of the Quran clearly refer to the personality of the Holy Spirit, just as the Bible presents it:

Say: 'The Holy Spirit brought it down from your Lord in truth to reassure the faithful, and to give guidance and good news to those that surrender themselves.' (16:102)

This is surely revealed by the Lord of the Universe. The faithful Spirit brought it down into your heart that you might warn mankind in plain Arabic speech. (26:192-195)

By His will He sends down the angels with the Spirit to those among His servants whom He chooses, bidding them proclaim: 'There is no God but Me: therefore fear Me.' (16:2)

They put questions to you about the Spirit. Say: 'The Spirit is at my Lord's command. Little is the knowledge vouchsafed to you.' (17:86)

Thus have We inspired you with a spirit of Our will when you knew nothing of faith or scripture, and made it a light whereby We guide those of Our servants whom We please. You will surely guide them to a straight path: (42:52)

…God has inscribed the Faith in their very hearts, and strengthened them with a spirit of His own…(58:22).

On that night the angels and the Spirit by their Lord's leave come down with each decree. (97:4)

4. Was Muhammad prophesied?

Many Muslims sincerely believe that the Bible contains prophesies about Muhammad. They think, for example, based on Quranic passage 61:6, even though it was written several centuries later after the time of Jesus and the apostles, that Jesus would have spoken and prophesied about Muhammad. They also think that Jesus' words about another Comforter (John 14:16, 16:7) were about Muhammad, whose coming Jesus would have predicted. They believe that the word "parakletos"/Comforter in the Gospel of John originally meant the word "periklytos"/praised, which is one of Muhammad's names, but that later, during Muhammad's time, it was changed to another.

    But is the previous notion correct? Are there any prophesies about Muhammad in the Bible? We will look at this in the light of a few examples:

Ancient manuscripts do not support the views of Muslims

If we consider the possibility that the Gospel of John originally had the word periklytos, which was later changed to parakletos in the time of Muhammad, it is difficult to prove this to be true. It is difficult to prove it true, because all the old manuscripts that have been found - from the time before Muhammad and after him - have always been in the present form. They have been in a form where we cannot find any mention of Muhammad, nor any prophecies related to him. These mentions are completely absent from the texts of the Gospels, even if Muslims had the desire to find them.

Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit, not a human being

The second feature worth noting is that Jesus spoke about the Holy Spirit (John 14:16,17,26, 15:26, 16:13) - not about any man - and whom He promised to send from Heaven and from the Father (John 15:26: “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father, he shall testify of me.). So this could not mean Muhammad, who did not even exist at that time, but the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that took place on Pentecost, ten days after Jesus' ascension. In the Acts of the Apostles it is written about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit:

- (Acts 2:1-4) And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

3 And there appeared to them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat on each of them.

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The Holy Spirit is with the disciples forever and glorifies Jesus

The third feature to note is that the Holy Spirit is with the disciples forever and that he glorifies Jesus Christ. These things are certainly impossible to say about Muhammad, who was born 500 years after the time of Jesus, who lived for 62 years (62 years is not the same as forever) and who also belittled Jesus' status:

- (John 14:16-17,26) And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him not, neither knows him: but you know him; for he dwells with you, and shall be in you.

26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said to you.

- (John 15:26) But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father, he shall testify of me:

- (John 16:13-14) However, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.

14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it to you.

Research by a former Muslim

When we examine whether there has been any prophesies about Muhammad, the following quote clarifies the matter. In it, a former Muslim who belonged to an Islamic extremist group was tasked by the emir to find out what was said about Muhammad in the Bible. However, this person could not find any mentions or prophesies about Muhammad from the Bible:

The emir looked at me and said, - This is a command! You have no other alternative than to carry out the task if you really believe in Allah and in the last doomsday. The situation was again confirmed by words from the Quran, "It is not for the true believers - men or women - to decide their affairs which God and His apostles have decided otherwise." (Sura 33:36).

   I tried to get the emir to choose someone else but he refused. He said, - I feel that you are the best man for this task. If you do it well, you will kill two birds with one stone. Firstly, you will teach all Muslims and open their eyes to things that they themselves cannot see. Secondly, you will earn plenty of "good" money because the results of your research will be translated into many languages and published everywhere in the world.

   His words troubled me, and I wanted to know the nature and details of the research. The emir said, - Your work will include two parts: you will prove the genuineness of Muhammad's calling from the Bible, just like the Quran says, "…to those that shall follow the Apostle - the Unlettered Prophet - whom they shall find described in the Torah and the Gospel…" (Sura 7:157) Based on the contradictions you have found, you will then prove that the present-day Bible is not a book written by the inspiration of God but that people have spoilt and falsified it.

   (…) I was worried because I did not know where to start. I did not have a means to start the research. For example, to prove that Muhammad was the prophet, I expected to find his name in the Bible. Or the names of Ahmed or Mahmud, which in Arabic refer to Muhammad. I did not know where to start.

   (...) I wanted to write a book that no one could refute, not a word about the whole book. Unfortunately, there was not such progress as I had wanted. All my intellectual and linguistic conclusions collapsed one after the other. I could not find even one verse to support my theory. (Later I wrote my second book called The Suppressed Truth, in which I present all of the verses I had studied and prove that they did not refer to the Prophet Muhammad.)

   I studied all the verses in detail but I did not find what I was looking for. My feelings were a mix of sorrow, despair, distress, and confusion. It did not even occur to me that Muhammad would not be a prophet. I tried to calm myself by explaining that I simply just could not prove that the verses spoke about Muhammad. (16)

5. Ahmadiyya

Islam has experienced different branches over the centuries; Shia Muslims, Sunni Muslims, Sufism... One branch is Ahmadiyya that very much resembles traditional Islam. The Ahmadi muslims also believe that Allah is the only God and Muhammad is His prophet. Likewise, the Ahmadi muslims pray with their faces turned towards Mecca, give alms, make pilgrimages to Mecca, and fast during the month of Ramada.

    Actually, Ahmadiyya differs from traditional Islam only in two things. They are:

1. While traditional Islam believes that Jesus did not die on the cross but ascended directly to heaven, Ahmadiyya teaches that Jesus was indeed crucified, but he just fainted on the cross. Then later, when Jesus was freed from the cross, it is believed that he went to India, where he preached until he was 120 years old, until his death.

2. The second difference is that traditional Islam believes that Prophet Muhammad was the greatest of the prophets and that the gift of prophecy ended with him, but the perfect belief of the Ahmadi muslims includes that they acknowledge Mirza Gulam as their Messiah leader. Gulam Ahmad is regarded as the promised Messiah in Ahmadiyya, who also fulfilled the signs of the second coming of Christ.

The fainting theory and preaching in India – why can this not be true?

If we first consider the notion in Ahmadiyya that Jesus just fainted on the cross and then went to India to preach, we can state great flaws in this theory:

Against the Quran. Firstly, the theory goes against the Quran. The Quran, which also the Ahmadi muslims regard as their holy book, does not mention anything about Jesus fainting on the cross or that He later preached in India. Instead, it mentions that He was taken directly to heaven (3:55 and 4:158), but nothing about Him going to India to preach. That is, if He has been in heaven, then He certainly has not preached in India at the same time.

Against the words of Jesus. As we noted earlier, Jesus prophesied His own crucifixion and resurrection. He prophesied them and also said that He would give His life as a ransom for people (Matt 20:28: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.). If the fainting theory were true, then He would have lied or been mistaken about His future.

History books. As stated above, the history books contain information about Jesus' death on the cross and His life in Israel. There are references to His life and death on the cross in several sources, but neither the same nor any other sources speak of His preaching in India. This is remarkable because His actual period of activity in Israel was only 3 ½ years, while Gulam Ahmad claimed that Jesus preached in India for 80-90 years.

The lost sheep of the house of Israel. One point that speaks against Jesus being in India is that He said to have come to look for the lost sheep of Israel (Matt 15:24: But he answered and said, I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.). Jesus' mission was to preach and live only in that country, not elsewhere, although He later gave his disciples a mission command that extended to the whole world (Matthew 28:19,20 and Mark 16:15-18).

Gulam Ahmad's conflicting information. Gulam Ahmad, who claimed that Jesus preached in India and died there, himself taught contradictorily about the time and place of Jesus' death. The following quote from the text of a former Ahmadist describes the matter:

   He did so and I took out a list of questions that I had with me and wrote, "Gulam Ahmad taught that Christ died in Kashmir and his grave is there."

- Well then, Ahmed, we Muslims believe that our prophets can't make mistakes but Gulam Ahmad has made mistakes in this. Take a look at this.

   I took a pen and wrote again;

1. After having avoided the death on the cross, Jesus went to Kashmir and lived there for eighty years, and died at the age of 120 in Srinagar. But according to one earlier book by Gulam Ahmad, Azala-Auham, Jesus died in Palestine (p. 473).

2. In Tabligh-Risalet, in part 8, His age is mentioned as 125.

3. In Tazkira Al-Shahadateen, it is said that Isa, the son of Mary, lived for 120 years after His crucifixion.

   Mirza Gulam Ahmad has written all of these three, and they are all different. Which should we believe; that God remembered wrong or that Gulam Ahmad did? There is something even more interesting, Ahmed. Jesus preached in Judea, Jerusalem, and Samaria only for three and a half years and did miracles in these places. The books of history are full of information about this. These places have lots of proof of His life and activity there also nowadays. But don't you think it's odd that even though He is assumed to have lived in these parts of the world for 80 to 120 years and preached here during that time, no-one believes it? The researches prove that the grave that was claimed to be His in Kashmir is actually the grave of prince Yuz Asef! What do you think about all this, Ahmed? Did He preach after His crucifixion? That all is very strange. (17)

Did Ghulam Ahmad fulfill the signs of the second coming of Christ?

The second special feature in Ahmadiyya is that Gulam Ahmad fulfilled the signs of the second coming of Jesus and that he was the promised Messiah.

   However, if we look at this theory, we can see that it cannot be true either. According to the Bible, when Jesus arrives for the second time, He will establish a thousand year kingdom on the Earth - Gulam Ahmad who lived mainly in the 1800s, certainly did not do that. The Bible also says that He will come in all His glory so that all eyes will see Him - the following Bible verses refer to this. This cannot be said about Gulam Ahmad, who acted in a very small area and is quite unknown to most people in the world:

- (Matt 25:31-32) When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats:

- (Matt 24:26-30) Why if they shall say to you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

27 For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even to the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

28 For wherever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

- (Rev 1:7) Behold, he comes with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

6. How to receive forgiveness of sins?

As for damnation and heaven, Muslims also believe in them. They believe that these places exist and that before them there is a judgment day when God will judge people's actions. Then, on the judgment day, the books will be opened, everyone's deeds will be weighed and some will go to heaven, others will perish. This is a description that is very similar to the description of the last judgment in the Book of Revelation:

- (Rev 20:12-15) And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

15 And whoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

A good question, however, is how we can get our sins forgiven. How can we be sure of God's approval and that we are not going to Hell? We will try to find an answer to this in the following lines:

Can Muhammad act as an intercessor?

If you are a Muslim, you have certainly thought about the possibility that Muhammad could act as a mediator in the last judgment. Many Muslims have thought that Muhammad, the last of the prophets and the seal of the prophets, will pray for Muslims and the doors of Heaven will open for them as a result of this prayer.

    But how could Muhammad act as an intermediary for others? When he himself was very sinful and the Quran shows that he sinned, how could such a person help us? How could he act as an intercessor for others or be of help to us before God's court, since his life was not much different from others?

    If we look at the Quran in the light of the following verses, we can see his shortcomings and sinfulness. In light of this, how could he help us?

Give glory to your Lord and seek His pardon. He is ever disposed to mercy. (110:3)

We have given you a glorious victory, so that God may forgive you your past and future sins, and perfect His goodness to you; that He may guide you to a straight path. (48:1,2)

…Implore Him to forgive your sins and to forgive the true believers, men and women. (47:19)

The work of God – He has done everything for us

We cannot achieve God's approval by our own actions either. We can only add to our sin debt because of our imperfect daily lives. Because of the same deficiency, we lack the certainty of God's approval. It is because we keep the foundation of salvation in our own works and only look at our imperfection. Our inadequacy and sinfulness are aptly referred to in the following verses:

- (Rom 3:23) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God

- (Rom 3:9) What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin

- (Gal 3:22) But the scripture has concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

- (John 7:19) Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keeps the law?  Why go you about to kill me?

However, there is a solution to this problem: It is that God has already done for us, what we cannot do ourselves. He has done everything for us so that we don't have to try to gain his approval ourselves. In the light of the following paragraphs, we will try to explain this matter and how it happened:

God sent Jesus

First, the Bible shows that God sent Jesus here to save us. The initiator was and is therefore God himself, and the motive is his love for people, because he does not want anyone to perish and go to Hell. He wants us to be saved and because of this, He sent Jesus. This is why all of us can come to His presence:

- (John 3:16-17) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

- (Rom 8:31-32) What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

- (1 John 4:9-10) In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

- (Luke 19:10) For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Sins were placed upon Him

Another thing has to do with the fact that sins were put and thrown on Jesus. When he himself lived a sinless (Joh 8:46 etc.) and perfect life, God could act like this. So, sins and bad deeds did not remain in the cup of scale of deeds as we might think, but Jesus took them upon himself. He became a substitute for us so that we no longer have to bear our sins ourselves:

- (Isa 53:5-12) But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was on him; and with his stripes we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opens not his mouth.

8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he has put him to grief: when you shall make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he has poured out his soul to death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

- (1 John 3:5) And you know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

- (John 1:29) The next day John sees Jesus coming to him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.

Salvation as a gift

When God has already prepared everything for us in Jesus Christ, so it is clear that we can receive salvation only in one way: as a gift and by grace. Salvation does not depend on ourselves and our goodness, as we may often think, but it is grace and a gift. It can be received immediately. If that's why you personally want to be saved, it doesn't require your actions or your imperfect merits, but you can receive everything as a gift, right away:

- (Eph 2:8) For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

- (Rom 3:24) Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

- (Rom 6:23) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

- (Luke 14:17) And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.

- (Rev 21:6) And he said to me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely.

- (Rev 22:17) And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is thirsty come. And whoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Attitude towards Jesus

When it has already been established that Jesus has filled the gap between us and God and has become our mediator (Heb 9:15: And for this cause he is the Mediator of the new testament, that ... they which are called might receive the promise of Eternal inheritance.), it is good understand that also only through Him can we be saved. Only by turning to Him and through Him can we receive forgiveness of sins because He has done everything for us. Therefore, turn to Him, and you too will receive God's grace and forgiveness:

- (John 5:40) And you will not come to me, that you might have life.

- (John 8:23-24) And he said to them, You are from beneath; I am from above: you are of this world; I am not of this world.

24 I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins: for if you believe not that I am he, you shall die in your sins.

- (John 14:6) Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.

- (Acts 4:11-12) This is the stone which was set at nothing of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

- (Acts 10:43) To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whoever believes in him shall receive remission of sins.

- (Acts 13:38) Be it known to you therefore, men and brothers, that through this man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins

On the other hand, if you reject Jesus, you also reject God's forgiveness and the gift of eternal life. You will then have to pay for your sins yourself and will have to atone for your sentence in eternal damnation. This is because you have turned your back on the only chance to be saved and enter God's paradise. Therefore, do not turn your back on your only hope of salvation:

My friend, if you are damned, it is not because of your sins but because you have not received mercy, which God offers to you through Jesus. That is why it is fair. If you reject Jesus, what can God do? Then, you dismiss your only hope of salvation. (18)

The prayer of salvation. Lord, Jesus, I turn to You. I confess that I have sinned against You and have not lived according to Your will. However, I want to turn from my sins and follow You with all my heart. I also believe that my sins have been forgiven by Your atonement and I have received eternal life through You. I thank You for the salvation that You have given me. Amen.

References:

1. Ismaelin lapset, p. 32

2. Bilquis Sheikh: Uskalsin kutsua häntä isäksi (I Dared to Call Him Father), p. 135

3. Asko Kariluoto: Abu-Ali, Jerusalemista maan ääriin, p. 69

4. F.C. Grant: An introduction to the revised standard version of the New testament (1946), p. 42 - quote from "Raamatun juuret", F.F. Bruce, p. 266.

5. F.G. Kenyon: The Bible and archaeology (1940), p. 228 - quote from "Raamatun juuret", F.F.Bruce, p. 266.

6. F.G. Kenyon: Our Bible and the ancient manuscripts, p. 85 - quote from "Voiko Raamattukritiikkiin luottaa?", Tapio Luttinen, p. 40.

7. Lee Strobel: Tapaus Kristus (The Case for Christ), p. 132-134,136

8. Thoralf Gilbrant: Ennustukset toteutuvat (Tidens Tegn 2), p. 64,65

9. Keith N. Schoville: "Biblical Archaeology in Focus" (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1978, p. 156)

10. Veli Henry: Muslimit ja evankeliumi, p. 40

11. Asko Kariluoto: Abu-Ali, Jerusalemista maan ääriin, p. 63,64

12.  W. Goldsack: Christ in Islam, Lontoo, CLS Intia, 1905

13. G. Mylrea ja Abd-Masih: The Holy Spirit in the Qur’an and Bible, CLS Intia, 1910. p. 34-35

14.  W. Goldsack: Christ in Islam, Lontoo, CLS Intia, 1905

15. Ishak Ibrahim: Islamin mahti (Black Gold & Holy War), p. 94

16. Ismaelin lapset, p. 63-65, 69

17. Steven Masood: Valoon, p. 69

18. Oswald J. Smith: Maa johon kaipaan, p. 89

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