Years ago, I noticed that Muslims around the world were asking the exact same
question in exactly the same words.
I would go to California, and a Muslim would ask me, Where did Jesus say,
I am God, worship me?
I'd go to London, and a Muslim would ask me, Where did Jesus say, I am God,
worship me?
I'd get messages from Muslims in Pakistan and Indonesia saying, Where did Jesus say,
I am God, worship me?
So it was clear that Muslims were being trained to ask Christians, Where did Jesus
say, I am God, worship me?
And if you watch some lectures by Muslim apologists, you can see them telling
Muslims to ask this question.
Now, before we continue, let me ask you, Where did Jesus say, I am God,
worship me?
If some of the classic proof texts for the deity of Christ are popping into your
head, you're going to run into a problem.
Because if a Muslim asks, Where did Jesus say, I am God, worship me?
and you reply by showing that Jesus claimed to be the I Am of the Exodus,
that same Muslim has also been trained to say, No, I asked you where he said,
I am God, worship me, in those words.
You see, Muslims aren't being trained simply to ask the question.
They're being trained to demand exact words.
You Christians say that Jesus is God, and that we're supposed to worship him.
If you can't show us where Jesus said, I am God, worship me, in those exact
words, you're clearly wrong about Jesus.
So, before you offer a case for the deity of Christ, you might need to deal with the
exact words criterion, which is a silly criterion.
In fact, the easiest way to get past the exact words criterion is to flip it back
on whoever's using it.
For instance, you can say, I'd be happy to show you where Jesus said, I am God,
worship me, as soon as you show me where he said, I'm only a prophet, don't worship
me, in those exact words.
No other words.
I want just the words, I'm only a prophet, don't worship me.
That's what Muslims believe about Jesus, right?
Well, if you can't show me those exact words, the Islamic view of Jesus must be
false.
Or you can say, show me where Jesus said, I am the virgin-born son of Mary,
in those exact words.
You can use the Bible or the Quran, but I want those exact words, or Islam is
false.
This will help show that demanding specific words is absurd.
The fact that so many Muslims use this approach—an approach that, if applied
consistently, could be used against Islam—strongly suggests that Islamic
apologetics isn't meant to get people to the truth.
It's meant to confuse.
Once we get past the exact words criterion, we can ask a much more
reasonable question.
Where and how did Jesus claim to be God?
And here we can look at all kinds of interesting passages.
But when you start going through these passages with your Muslim friends,
you're going to run into a second problem.
Reinterpretation.
If someone believes that Jesus never claimed to be God, and you show him a
passage where Jesus claimed to be God, there's a tendency for him to reinterpret
any claims that conflict with what he already believes about Jesus.
Fortunately, there's a way to block reinterpretations of some of these
passages, because, according to both the Bible and the Quran, there are certain
claims that only God can truly make.
For instance, God alone can correctly state that he created the universe.
A mere human being can say the words, I created the universe, but the statement
would be false, coming from anyone other than God.
So, if Jesus said things that can only truly be said by God, we have to conclude
that Jesus claimed to be God.
Interestingly, Jews, Christians, and Muslims agree on many of the claims
that can only truly be made by God.
Let's look at a few.
Surah 57, verse 3 of the Quran, refers to Allah as the first and the last.
The first and the last are two of Allah's ninety-nine names.
The Old Testament agrees that God is the first and the last, as we read in the book
of the prophet Isaiah, chapter 44, verse 6.
Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts,
I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides me.
When LORD is written in all caps in the Old Testament, the term refers to Yahweh,
the creator of the universe.
So, both the Bible and the Quran refer to God as the first and the last,
since the first and the last is one of God's titles, should a mere prophet be
calling himself the first and the last?
That's exactly what Jesus does in Revelation chapter 1, verses 17 to 18,
where he says, Do not be afraid, I am the first and the last, and the
living one.
And I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death
and of Hades.
Reinterpret that one, Muslims.
Tell me what Jesus really meant when he took a title, which can only be applied to
God, and applied it to himself.
Human beings sin against one another, but there's a sense in which all sin is
rebellion against God.
Similarly, even though you and I may forgive one another for the wrongs we
commit, only God can offer ultimate forgiveness.
So, the prophet David could say to God, in Psalm 51, verse 4, Against you,
you only, I have sinned and done what is evil in your sight.
The Qur'an agrees that ultimate forgiveness belongs to God alone,
for it asks, in Surah 3, verse 135, And who can forgive sins except Allah?
Now, if Allah, according to the Qur'an, is the only one who can offer true
forgiveness, should a mere prophet claim to be able to forgive sins?
In Mark 2, a paralyzed man is brought to Jesus in order to be healed.
Jesus' response causes the religious leaders to accuse him of blasphemy.
We read, in verses 5 through 12, And Jesus, seeing their faith,
said to the paralytic, Son, your sins are forgiven.
But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,
Why does this man speak that way?
He is blaspheming.
Who can forgive sins but God alone?
Immediately Jesus, aware in his spirit that they were reasoning that way within
themselves, said to them, Why are you reasoning about these things in your
hearts?
Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven, or to say,
Get up and pick up your pallet and walk?
But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive
sins, he said to the paralytic, I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet
and go home.
And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of
everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, We have never
seen anything like this.
The scribes correctly recognized that only God can forgive sins.
Yet Jesus, who referred to himself as the Son of Man, knowing their thoughts,
replied that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.
He then healed the paralytic, proving that he has authority to forgive our sins—
something the Qur'an says only Allah has authority to do.
In chapter 3 of the book of the prophet Joel, God declares that the nations will
be gathered, and that he will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.
According to the prophet David, in Psalm 9, verses 7 to 8, the Lord abides
forever.
He has established his throne for judgment, and he will judge the world in
righteousness.
The Qur'an, in Surah 22, verses 56 to 57, maintains that Allah will judge the world,
rewarding believers and punishing unbelievers.
The kingdom on that day shall be Allah's.
He will judge between them.
So those who believe and do good will be in gardens of bliss.
And as for those who disbelieve in and reject our communications, these it is who
shall have a disgraceful chastisement.
Since God is the final judge, according to both the Bible and the Qur'an,
would a mere prophet ever claim to be the final judge of all people?
Certainly not.
But that's what Jesus claims in Matthew 25, where he says, in verses 31 to 32,
But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him,
then he will sit on his glorious throne.
All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them from one
another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
Jesus goes on to say that he will admit certain people to heaven and cast others
into hell.
Isn't this something only God can do?
Why would a mere prophet say something like that?
In Psalm 31, verse 5, the prophet David refers to God as the God of truth.
According to Surah 22, verse 6 of the Qur 'an, Allah is the truth.
The truth—al-Haqq, like the first and the last—is one of Allah's ninety-nine names.
Knowing that God refers to himself as the truth, would a prophet ever call himself
the truth?
Jesus does, in John 14, verse 6, where he says, I am the way and the truth
and the life.
No one comes to the Father but through me.
Don't you Muslims find it strange that Jesus keeps applying the names of God to
himself?
The Bible and the Qur'an agree that God is the one who will raise the dead.
According to 1 Samuel 2, verse 6, the Lord kills and makes alive.
He brings down to Sheol and raises up.
Similarly, in Surah 22, verse 7, the Qur'an says that Allah shall raise up
those who are in the graves.
Since God is the one who raises the dead at the resurrection, would we ever expect
a mere prophet to tell his followers that he will resurrect the dead?
In John 5, verses 25 through 29, Jesus says, Truly, truly, I say to you,
an hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the
Son of God, and those who hear will live.
For just as the Father has life in himself, even so he gave to the Son also
to have life in himself.
And he gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.
Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs
will hear his voice, and will come forth—those who did the good deeds to a
resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of
judgment.
In John 11, verse 25, Jesus even calls himself the Resurrection.
He declares, I am the resurrection and the life.
He who believes in me will live, even if he dies.
If Jesus is only a prophet, wouldn't this be blasphemy?
The Qur'an tells us, in Surah 57, verse 1, that whatever is in the heavens
and the earth declares the glory of Allah.
In the Old Testament, we find that God will not share his glory with anyone.
God says, in Isaiah 42, verse 8, I am the Lord, that is my name.
I will not give my glory to another.
Clearly, no prophet is going to say that he will be glorified with God,
let alone that he had glory with God before the world was created.
But in John 17, verse 5, Jesus says, Now, Father, glorify me together with
yourself, with the glory which I had with you before the world was.
Is this the sort of thing prophets say?
In Mark 2, 28, Jesus calls himself the Lord of the Sabbath.
In Matthew 22, 41 to 45, he proves that he is the Lord of the prophet David.
In John 8, 39 to 58, Jesus says that he has seen the prophet Abraham.
In Matthew 12, 6, Jesus claims to be greater than God's temple.
Jesus tells us that he has an absolutely unique relationship with the Father,
that he can answer prayers, that he is present wherever his followers are
gathered, that he has all authority in heaven and on earth, and that he is with
his followers forever.
He even makes the startling declaration that all things that the Father has are
mine.
According to Jesus, all people must honor him just as we honor the Father.
He says in John 5, verses 21 to 23, For just as the Father raises the dead and
gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom he wishes.
For not even the Father judges anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son,
so that all will honor the Son, even as they honor the Father.
He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
Since one of the ways we honor the Father is by worshiping him, and since Jesus says
that we have to honor the Son the same way we honor the Father, Jesus was demanding
worship.
It should come as no surprise that Jesus' followers worshiped him on numerous
occasions.
The Gospel tells us that Jesus was worshiped shortly after his birth,
during his ministry, after his resurrection but before his ascension to
heaven, and after his ascension to heaven.
Jesus' disciple Thomas even addressed him, in John 20, verse 28, as, my Lord and my
God.
So, where did Jesus say, I am God, worship me?
As we've seen, Jesus claimed to be the first and the last, the forgiver of sins,
the final judge, the truth, and the resurrection.
Jesus proclaimed that he had glory with the Father before the world was created,
that he is the Lord of the Sabbath and of King David, that he had seen Abraham,
and that he is greater than God's temple.
Jesus has a unique relationship with the Father.
He can answer prayers.
He is with his followers, no matter where they are.
He has total authority on earth and in heaven.
He is with his followers forever, and he owns everything.
Jesus even demanded that he be honored just as the Father is honored,
and this includes worship.
These are not the claims of a mere human being.
They're not even the claims of a mighty prophet.
These are claims only God can truly make.
And this is why Christians believe that Jesus is God.
Since there's just too much to reinterpret here, if you want to claim that Jesus was
only a prophet, our Muslim friends will now have to insist that the Bible's been
corrupted.
Unfortunately for our Muslim friends, I made this video, proving that the Qur'an
affirms the inspiration, preservation, and authority of our Scriptures.
Click the video to see Allah commanding Christians to judge by the Scriptures we
have, and you'll understand that, because the Scriptures we have proclaim
the deity of Christ in numerous ways, we can't obey the Qur'an without rejecting
the Qur'an.