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Chapter 3: The Biblical Proofs of the Deity of Jesus Christ

Since the case of the authenticity of the Bible is settled once and for all, let us now proceed to mention the Biblical proofs that confirm that Jesus Christ is the Eternal Son of God and God’s Last Messenger to mankind.


FIRST: HIS EVERLASTING EXISTENCE

The beginning of every human being on this planet earth is the day of his birth, but Jesus Christ is different; he is everlasting.

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

In John 6:38 Jesus said:

...for I have come down from heaven.

He also said to the Jews, in John 8:56-58, "Before Abraham was, I AM." We have to notice that he did not say, "before Abraham was, I was," but he said, "I AM," using the same title God used when He talked with Moses at Horeb:

And God said unto Moses, I AM that I AM: and He said, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you (Exodus 3:14).

He was not before Abraham in the mind of God. He was not before Abraham in His rank. He was before Abraham in His existence, for He is everlasting.

In His prayer recorded in the Gospel of John, Chapter 17:5, Jesus said:

And now, Father, glorify Me together with yourself, with the glory which I had with you before the world was.

Again in verse 24 in the same chapter He said:

Father... You loved Me before the foundation of the world (NKJV).

Jesus came down from heaven.

The Old Testament mentions Him in the Book of Psalms:

The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool" (Psalm 110:1 - NKJV).

It mentions Him also in the Book of Proverbs:

Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth?

What is his name and what is His Son’s name, if you know? (Proverbs 30:4).

Moreover, the plan of salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ was foreordained before the foundation of the world and before the beginning of time:

Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you (I Peter 1:18-20).

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness - a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time... (Titus 1:1,2).

Jesus came down from heaven.

He was before Abraham.

He was with the Father in glory before the world was.

He was loved by the Father before the foundation of the world.

The plan of salvation by His precious blood was foreordained before the foundation of the world and before the beginning of time.

We all agree that God is eternal and everlasting. Consequently, His attributes must also be eternal and everlasting. He should not lose any of His attributes nor acquire new ones. So, if God is the eternal Father, then Jesus must be His eternal Son, for there is no eternal fatherhood without eternal sonship.

Knowing this truth, we should dismiss any idea of a sexual act concerning the case of the Sonship of Jesus Christ, for this unique Sonship is not physical. It is eternal.


SECOND: HIS MIRACULOUS BIRTH

The apostle John said:

And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14 - NKJ)

Jesus’ birth was a miraculous birth.

He was born of a virgin.

A Christian writer once said:

There are three great barriers between God and the human race. One is the barrier of nature. God alone is God and we are mere humans. It is impossible for us to approach Him. The second is the barrier of sin. God is good and we are sinful. The third is the barrier of death. God is eternal and we are mortals. There is no way any of us could cross or break down any of these barriers. But God, who is almighty, and nothing is impossible with Him, broke the three barriers by the incarnation of His son Jesus Christ.

He broke down the first barrier by taking our human nature upon Himself, thus we are able to approach Him. He broke down the second by bearing our sin; and He broke down the third when He died and rose from the dead.


THIRD: HIS SINLESS LIFE

All humans are sinful.

The Quran declares in explicit words that all humans are by nature weak, that they cannot resist temptations to do evil, they are in a state of loss, their souls are prone to evil, they are wrongdoers and ungrateful.

Here are the verses of the Quran:

Allah would make the burden light for you, for man was created weak (Surat Al-Nisa 4:28).

Lo! man is in a state of loss (Surat Al-Asr 103:2).

... the [human] soul certainly incites evil

(Surat Joseph 12:50 - King Fahd Holy Quran).

... verily, man is given up to injustice and ingratitude

(Surat Ibrahim 14:34 - K.F.Holy Quran).

Truly Man is to his Lord ungrateful

(Surat Al-Adiyat 100:6 - K.F. Holy Quran.)

Man is [self] destroyed: how ungrateful

(Surat Abasa 80:17).

All these Quranic verses declare that man is evil by nature.

Muhammad was born with a sinful nature.

Ibn Hesham, who wrote Muhammad’s biography, recorded that some of Muhammad’s friends asked him to tell them about himself:

I was nursed at Bani Saad Ibn Bakr. While I was with a brother taking care of the sheep behind our houses, two men in white apparel came to me with a golden basin filled with ice, they took me, opened my chest, took my heart and opened it and took from it a black worm and threw it away. They washed my heart and my chest with that ice until my heart became clean (Ibn Hesham, Biography of Muhammad, Volume 1, page 302,303).

It is clear from this authentic story that Muhammad was born with a black worm in his heart and needed surgery to get it out.

The Bible declares that all humans are sinful by nature:

God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. Every one of them has turned aside; they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one (Psalm 53:2,3 - NKJ).

The apostle Paul says:

There is none righteous, no, not one (Romans 3:10).

All prophets were sinful men.

Abraham lied because of fear (Genesis 12:13).

Moses disobeyed God (Numbers 20:6-13).

Isaiah cried out, "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips" (Isaiah 6:5).

Muhammad was no exception.

The Quran declares that Muhammad needed forgiveness for his past and future sins.

In Surat Al-Fath 48:1,2, we read:

Lo! We have given thee [O Muhammad] a signal of victory. That Allah may forgive thee of thy sin that which is past and that which is to come (Muhammad M. Pickthall Translation).

According to this Quranic verse Muhammad was a sinner and was living in sin, for the verse declares that there will be sins that he will commit later on.

Many times Allah commanded Muhammad to ask forgiveness for his sins:

And seek forgiveness of Allah. Lo! Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful (Surat Al-Nisa 4:106).

Read also Surat Muhammad 47:19 and Surat Al-Nasr 110:3.

In contrast to all other prophets Jesus Christ was sinless.

We read in I John 3:5 about Him, "And in Him is no sin."

We read in II Corinthians 5:21, "Who knew no sin."

We read in I Peter 2:21,22, ... "Christ also suffered for us.. Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth."

Jesus Christ never attempted any form of repentance or made any confession that He had sinned.

Jesus is the only prophet who never had to ask forgiveness.

He challenged His critics, saying,

Which of you convicts me of sin? (John 8:46).

No one dared to challenge Him, for he is sinless and perfect.

Perfection is one of the attributes of God. We have seen that Christ is perfect; then He must be God the Son.

Once a young ruler came to Jesus saying, "Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" Jesus said unto him, "Why callest thou Me good? There is none good but God" (Mark 10, 17,18).

Jesus was saying to this young ruler that if he recognized and confessed that Jesus was good, then he should also confess that Jesus is God.

Jesus Christ is absolutely good. Therefore He is absolutely God the Son.

FOURTH: HIS CLAIMS

Since Jesus Christ is sinless, then He is truthful, all what He says is truth and nothing but the truth. What did He say about Himself?

He claimed much.

He said:

  1. I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst (John 6:35).

  2. I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life (John 8:12).

  3. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture (John 10:9).

  4. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep (John 10:11).

  5. I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live (John 11:15).

  6. I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6).

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

Who could claim that he is the bread of life, the light of the world, the only door for salvation, the good shepherd, the resurrection and the life, the way, the truth and the life, and that He and the Father are one but the incarnated Son of God. None of the prophets claimed any of these attributes.


FIFTH: HIS GLORY AND POWER

The glory of Jesus Christ was demonstrated at the time of His transfiguration.

This glorious event is recorded in the three gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke. I will quote only what Matthew recorded:

And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only (Matthew 17:1-8).

Peter wrote about the glory of Jesus Christ which he saw on the Mount of Transfiguration, saying,

For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount (2 Peter 1:16-18).

The apostle John testifies concerning the same event saying,

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

The power of Jesus Christ was manifested through His miracles.

And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, and cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought him, saying, send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand:) and were choked in the sea (Mark 5:1-013).

Jesus Christ commanded a legion, which is a large number of devils from that man, and the people of that town "come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind; and they were afraid (Mark 5:15).

And the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side." And when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow: and they awoke Him, and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And He said to them, Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!" (Mark 4:35-41). (Read Job 38:8-11.)
When evening had come, they brought to Him many that were demon-possessed: and He castout the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick (Matthew 8:16).
And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." And he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother (Luke 7:12-15).

(Read also John 11:38-44).

Moreover, Jesus Christ gave power to His disciples to perform miracles:

And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease (Matthew 10:1).

The book of Acts recorded many miracles that the apostles performed in the name of Jesus

(Acts 3:1, 9:32-35, 9:36-42, 14:8-10, 16:16-18).

The Quran says about Jesus Christ:

And Allah will teach him the Book and Wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel, and [appoint him] a messenger to the children of Israel, [with this message]. I have come to you with a sign [miracle] from your Lord, in that I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it. And it becomes a bird by Allah’s leave. And I heal these born blind, and the lepers, and I bring the dead into life by Allah’s leave and I declare to you what ye eat, and what ye store in your houses. Surely therein is a sign for you if ye did believe (Surat Al-Imran 3:48,49 - King Fahd Holy Quran).
The power of Jesus Christ demonstrates His deity.

SIXTH: THE GIFTS HE GIVES

Jesus Christ gives many blessings and gifts to those who believe in Him as the Son of God, Savior, Lord, and God’s Last Messenger.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28 - NKJ).

Jesus Christ gives rest from the burden of sin, from the sense of guilt, from care.

There is no human being who could give rest to all who labor and are heavy laden. God only is the one who gives that kind of rest.

Nothing in the world can fully satisfy the heart of man. King Solomon tried to find happiness in material things, but at the end he said,

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun...Therefore, I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit (Ecclesiastes 2:11,17).

But Jesus Christ can satisfy the human heart.

He said to the Samaritan woman:

Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life (John 4:14).
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life (John 5:24).

This is contrary to what the Quran says. The Quran assures every Muslim that he or she must enter hell.

These are the words of the Quran:

Man says: "What! When I am dead, shall I then be raised up alive?" But does not man call to mind that We created him before out of nothing? So, by thy Lord, without doubt, We shall gather them together, and [also] Satans [with them]; then shall We bring them forth on their knees round about Hell; ... Not one of you but will pass over it (literally enter it); this is, with thy Lord, a Decree which must be accomplished (Surat Maryam 19:66-70 - King Fahd Holy Quran).
What a great difference!

SEVENTH: HIS UNIQUENESS

Many years ago, someone wrote a beautiful article concerning Jesus Christ. Let me quote that article.

The Incomparable Christ

"More than nineteen hundred years ago there was a Man born contrary to the laws of life. This Man lived in poverty and was reared in obscurity. He did not travel extensively. Only once did He cross the boundary of the country in which He lived; that was during His exile in childhood.

He possessed neither wealth nor influence. His relatives were inconspicuous, and had neither training nor formal education.

In infancy he startled a king; in childhood He puzzled doctors; in manhood He ruled the course of nature, walked upon the billows as if pavements, and hushed the sea to sleep.

He healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charge for His service.

He never wrote a book, and yet all the libraries of the country could not hold the books that have been written about Him. He never wrote a song, and yet He has furnished the theme for more songs than all the songwriters combined.

He never founded a college, but all the schools put together cannot boast of having as many students.

He never marshaled an army, nor drafted a soldier, nor fired a gun; and yet no leader ever had more volunteers who have, under His orders, made more rebels stack arms and surrender without a shot fired.

He never practiced psychiatry, and yet He has healed more broken hearts than all the doctors far and near.

Once each week the wheels of commerce cease their turning and multitudes wend their way to worshipping assemblies to pay homage and respect to Him.

The names of the past proud statesmen of Greece and Rome have come and gone. The names of the past scientists, philosophers, and theologians have come and gone; but the name of this Man abounds more and more. Though time has spread nineteen hundred years between the people of this generation and the scene of His crucifixion, yet He still lives. Herod could not destroy Him, and the grave could not hold Him.

He stands forth upon the highest pinnacle of heavenly glory, proclaimed of God, acknowledged by angels, adored by saints, and feared by devils, as the living, personal Christ, our Lord and Savior."

We are either going to be forever with Him, or forever without Him. It was the incomparable Christ who said:

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:20).

I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6).

This is Jesus Christ as the Bible presents Him.

The Bible speaks about:

In the light of all these, we have to declare with Peter:

You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God (Matthew 16:16 - NKJ).

At the same time, Jesus Christ is God’s Last Messenger to the world.