Did Jesus Say He is the Son of God?
God Revealed the Messiah to John the Baptist
Challenges from the Islamic Community
Muslims teach several false statements about Jesus. This is unfortunate. We all have a right to hear the truth about Jesus. Many Muslims challenge me, saying Jesus is not the Son of God. They also like to say, "Islam is better than Christianity- We have both Mohammed and Jesus." This has been my personal experience as a military Arabic translator in Kuwait and in Iraq. This has also been my experience via private messages on YouTube.
Unlike the evening news, these conversations are polite. Arabs and other residents of the Middle East have an extremely polite culture. The purpose of this writing is not to insult Islam, Muslims or the Mideast. I am clarifying a misunderstanding, repeated widely in Islamic circles.
Here is a PM received this morning:
JESUS (pbuh) has ever wanted to be called GOD or SON of GOD, THIS IS AN INSULT TO GOD ALMIGHTY,
AL-TURKi
In response to Sayyed Al-Turki, I compiled the following scriptures:
Jesus is the Son of God- 18 Historical Accounts
Greetings, Al-Turki,
May my Heavenly Father grant you peace and wisdom that surpasses understanding.
When the Persian King Nebuchadnezzar threw three Jews into a furnace for refusing to worship an idol, he saw this:
Dan 3:25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
Some sailors recognized the truth after Jesus commanded the sea to "be quiet" and immediately a storm ceased and the waters became flat.
Mat 14:33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshiped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
When Jesus was crucified on the cross, the graves of prophets opened, and those men walked around the city. The veil in the Temple of God tore in two, right down the middle. And, a great earthquake shook the entire city of Jerusalem. These supernatural events testified of Jesus. And, the soldiers standing near the cross said,
Mat 27:54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
An angel from Heaven visited Mary when she was pregnant with Jesus: And the angel answered and said unto her,
The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:35)
The disciple John, who walked with Jesus for three years says:
John 1:34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
When a young man of pure heart meets Jesus for the very first time,
John 1:49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
Jesus speaking to his accusers on the day he was murdered:
John 10:36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
Jesus refers to himself as the “Son of God”. Jesus raised Lazareth from the dead, and was glorified in that act:
John 11:4 When Jesus heard [that], he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
The fact that Jesus was raised from the dead by God ("the spirit of holiness") also testifies that Jesus is the Son of God:
Romans 1:4 And declared [to be] the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
Here are some things former angels (cast from Heaven when they rebelled, and made crooked in body to match their hearts) said when talking to Jesus:
Mat 8:29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
Mat 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
Luk 4:41 And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking [them] suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.
Who believes Jesus is the Son of God has God in him:
1 John 4:15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
1Jo 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
Whoever says Jesus is NOT the Son of God, calls God a LIAR.
1Jo 5:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
1Jo 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; [and] he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
1Jo 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
1Jo 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, [even] in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
As a Child, did Jesus Know that He is the Son of God?
Jesus called God "Father" when he was just 12.
It is very likely Jesus knew that He is the Son of God from the time he was an infant. When Jesus was just 12, his family, returning to their home region with the mass of Jewish travelers leaving the Jerusalem census, left without him. (They he was with other family in the traveling group.) Joseph and Mary returned to Jerusalem and found him preaching at the Temple of the Lord. Jesus explained his actions:
"And he said unto them, How is it that you sought me? knew you not that I must be about my Father's business?" (John 2:49)
When Elizabeth heard Mary speak as Jesus was yet in Mary's womb, she became filled with the Holy Spirit as John the Baptist leapt in Elizabeth's womb. So, John was able to recognize the anointing of Jesus while both were yet in the wombs of their mothers!
What about prior to that? Was the divinity of Jesus known? Here is Luke chapter 1, verses 30 to 33:
"But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
So, Mary knew that Jesus would be called "Son of the Most High" before Jesus was even born. And, in verse 35, the angel responds to Mary's questions about how a single woman could have a child: "The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God."
Mary knew her child's name before she was even pregnant: Jesus. And, Mary knew her child would be called "Son of God." Mary could have told little boy Jesus this information at any point in his life. So, as a child, did Jesus know He is the Son of God? It is very likely.
More likely, Jesus knew He is the Son of God the same way Peter knew: "no one has told you this but God." Jehovah Himself very likely ensured Jesus knew. Or, possibly, Jesus remembered things from before He became man.
Where in the Bible did Jesus say He is the Son of God?
In John 10:36 and in John 11:4, Jesus himself says he is the Son of God.
John 11:4 When Jesus heard [that], he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
John 10:36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
Okay, Jesus is the Son of God. Now What?
Do you really want to know God and receive eternal life in Heaven?
Or, do you just want to live according to the religion into which you were born?
If you choose religion over God, you have nothing to do with God. Jesus said
Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also."
Who does not know Jesus, does not know God. That is scary, isn't it? If you truly desire to know God, you must recognize that Jesus is who he says he is- the Son of God. If you say Jesus is a prophet, then you agree that He cannot speak in error (a rule in Islam). Jesus said he is the ONLY way to Heaven, and there is no other way.
If you want to know God. If you want to go to Heaven, you must choose Jesus. He IS "the way, the truth, and the Light." (John 14:6)
With all my heart, I hope you will pray and ask Jesus to reveal himself to you. Speak to him as you would a loving brother. Ask him to be in your life, to show you the truth.
