Q&ATalk: Is Jesus God?

This podcast is a repost, was originally published on Jan 6, 2018.

Pastors Priji and Rashmi attempt to answer certain questions concerning the divinity of Christ.

Transcript:
Question: Where in the Bible does it explicitly say that Jesus is God? Coming from a non Christian source, can you prove this statement based on the Quran and the Bible?
Answer: It cannot be proved based on the Quran because it is not the Word of God. It does not mention that Jesus- the Son of God- is God. However the Quran does mention that in order to know about God you can refer to the older scriptures- The Torah and the Injeel- the Gospel. Surah An-Nahl 16:43-44
The authenticity of the Bible too must be established before we prove it from there. The Bible is not just a book written by one person and passed on. It has been written by many authors and passed on through about sixteen centuries, yet it contains the one message that Jesus is the Son of God that will rescue the world by dying for their sins, rising from the dead and offering pardon for all those who believe to offer eternal life.
The Biblical manuscripts are one of the closest to the actual events than any other historical scripts found. Adding to that, there was not one, but there were thousands of identical manuscripts found through time, proving that the text has not been changed or manipulated.
Having proved that the Bible can be relied upon, one may find that in John 01:03 it is written, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.” It clearly says that Jesus was there from the very beginning as the eternal Being- God.
In His life, here on earth, though He never came shouting that He is God, it was revealed to people around that He is. Therefore came the wise men from the East and worshiped Him. So did all His disciples and many others who encountered Him. No one in the Bible, sent by God, ever accepts worship- neither Paul, nor Barnabas, nor the angels- giving Him what is His due alone. Jesus alone accepted worship.
The testimony of the disciples is another fact that marks the divinity of Jesus. It is easy for a person far away in another country to say I’m a good pastor, but only my wife knows who I really am because she lives with me and observes me everyday. Jesus lived with His disciples and it was made evident to them that He is God, therefore they worshiped Him.
Jesus rose from the dead. There were many who were raised up by Jesus and His disciples, but in the end, they did die a natural death. However, Jesus is the only One Who rose up from the grave and never went back. The disciples’ hope, that was lost by witnessing the crucifixion and the burial of their Messiah, revived at His resurrection and they worshiped Him all the more.
In Philippians 02: 06-11, it is written that Jesus, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!” Though He humbled Himself by taking on the form of a human, He never stopped being God.
His not claiming to be God is the humble part of Him as mentioned in Philippians, and His accepting worship shows that He is God even the human form.
Question: In the Bible many people like Adam, Enoch, the angels in Noah’s time, etc were called the sons of God. What makes Jesus different?
Answer: Those of His creation that God claimed as His children by adoption and selection, He addressed them as His sons. However, Jesus existed from the beginning. Jesus is as much God as the Father and the Spirit is. The Son of God is God from the beginning. He is the Son, meaning He has the very being of God in Him. He is the only Begotten One because He is the only One Who contains the material of God within Himself.
Question: How did God beget His Son?
Answer: Jesus never had a beginning. He existed from the beginning. Only begotten could mean that He is the same as the Father. Jesus says as mentioned in John 10:30, “The Father and I are one.” The Word Elohim for God has an element of plurality in it. God is one Being with a plurality in Him.
Question: For those who hold Quran to be the truth, how would you tell them the truth in love?
Answer: None of the Muslim brothers and sisters I know of have come to belief because a Christian argued with them or because of losing a Bible-Quran debate. Usually what brings them to the truth is God’s love revealed in the Christian. God is love.
Jesus is in us. We show Him more than we tell them about Him.