January 2008: Page 1, 2, 3

Submitters Perspective

Page 2

Misconceptions of Jesus as Savior

Cont’d from page 1

God - NOT a man and NOT the son of man

Numbers 23:19  God is not a man, that He should tell or act a lie, neither the son of man, that He should feel repentance or compunction. Has He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good?

Hosea 11:9  I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim. For I am God, and not man— the Holy One among you. I will not come in wrath.

Jesus - a man and the son of man

Acts 2:22  "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know."

Luke 9:58  Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has no place to lay his head."

If Jesus is God then...

God is NOT a man while simultaneously is a man and...

God is NOT the son of man while simultaneously is the son of man.

God can NOT be tempted

James 1:13  When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.

Jesus WAS tempted
Matthew 4:1  Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.

Mark 1:12  At once the Spirit sent him (Jesus) out into the desert.

Mark 1:13 and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

Luke 4:1  Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert.

Luke 4:2 where for forty days he was

tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

If Jesus is God then...

God can NOT be tempted while simultaneously WAS tempted.

PART 2:

Proving Jesus is NOT the Savior

For someone to imply that Jesus is God based on the prior information presented in the Bible (no Quran verses needed), one must conclude such a concept is simply illogical.

Please also keep in mind the Bible says...

1 Corinthians 14:33  For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

Perhaps if we apply logic we will come up with a better answer...

If God is Omnipotent, Omniscient, NOT a man, NOR the son of man, and can NOT be tempted, yet...

Jesus is NOT Omnipotent, NOT Omniscient, a man, the son of man, and WAS tempted then...

Jesus can NOT be God.

So if Jesus is not God then can he still be the Savior? The Bible answers this as well...

Isaiah 43:3  "For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place."

So God says that He is the Savior and...

Isaiah 43:11  "I, even I, am the LORD, And there is no savior besides Me."

Now we see that ONLY God is the Savior, so with a little logic we can conclude...

1. Jesus is NOT God.

2. ONLY God is the Savior.

3. Jesus can NOT be the Savior.

If Jesus is not the Savior, then who was he?

Jesus was exactly who he claimed to be as recorded in the Bible (no Quran verses needed).

Mark 6:4  But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.”
Even the crowds of people that Jesus preached to knew and acknowledged who he was...

Matthew 21:11  The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

So there you have it, Jesus was a wonderful powerless human prophet sent by God to guide only the Children of Israel with the Gospel that God gave to him, as Jesus himself testified to...

John 17:3  (Jesus said) "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
Revelation 1:1  The revelation (Gospel) of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending His angel (Gabriel) to His servant John.

All these verses from Bible clearly indicate that Jesus was a prophet of God. He brought the message of worshiping God alone, like all the messengers and prophets of God. Those who truly follow the message of Jesus, will reflect on these verses and uphold the truth, even if it means going against the norms.

Eric M T

Ed.’s note: The original article has references to the version of the Bible the verses quoted from. It can be accessed at www.masjidtucson.org

You shall not accept any information, unless you verify it for yourself. I have given you the hearing, the eyesight, and the brain, and you are responsible for using them. (Quran 17:36)