Is Jesus God? Islamic and Christian Counter-Claims

In a recent debate with Peter Barnes, accessible on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAgI1aMhZzE) Mustafa Arja claims that the Muslim belief in Jesus is free from rational contradictions but that the Christian view of Jesus as being God is riddled with contradictions. Arja argues that it is much more logical to simply believe, as the Qur’an would have it, that Jesus was but a great prophet and performer of mighty miracles, including raising the dead. But does this argument as such have any force?

There are at least two basic problems that I see with this argument:

1. This argument presupposes that there is a definable point beyond which it is illogical to posit divine presence and power.

2. It is not really an appeal to logic, but an argument as to which view of Jesus is more consistent with the Qur’anic view of Allah.

1. Fixing the point where irrationality begins

Where does Arja’s own logic lead? Couldn’t another concede Jesus was a prophet yet argue that since we don’t have unequivocal examples of mighty miracle-workers today that it is more rational to believe that Jesus probably didn’t perform the miracles, let along raising the dead, that both the Bible and the Qur’an predicate of Jesus? Might not that same person reason that this kind of notion belongs to a more primitive time within a more credulous culture when the modern scientific method was not applied with the same kind of rigour with which it is applied today? Then what about the atheist who might claim it is more rational to believe there is no God and that therefore the whole notion of a man claiming to be a prophet from God is nonsense? If we place Arja’s logic along a continuum like this then why should his own logic count for anything? On what basis does he determine where irrationality ends and rationality begins?

As one who fully accepts the biblical presentation of Jesus as God I am recognising that the application of logic always involves presuppositions and this leads to the second problem with Arja’s argument…

2. Underlying Presuppositions

 I would think it is plain to most objective observers that Arja is fooling himself if he really believes his claim is based on superior logic. It is not based on greater rationality but, when the truth is told, the situation boils down to this:  Christians who believe that Jesus is God do so because they believe (presuppose) the Bible, their Scriptures, is God’s revealed Word, whereas Arja and his fellow Muslims believe (presuppose) that the Qur’an, their Scripture, is Allah’s revealed Word.

When Arja claims to be applying superior logic and rationality all he is really saying is that the Muslim view of Jesus is more consistent with the Qur’anic view of Allah and the Christian view of Jesus is utterly inconsistent with that view.

In the Qur’an the utter transcendence of Allah does NOT correspond to the presentation of God in the Bible. The fact of the matter is that the Old Testament depiction of God does prepare the ground for New Testament incarnation in many ways, because it repeatedly stresses the immanence of God, the reality of his presence and activity in the world in which we live. There are many examples of God manifesting himself, often in human form, with Genesis 3 itself recalling how God walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the Garden.

Consequently, if we start by recognising that we are really comparing two counter claims to the source of ultimate truth – the Bible or the Qur’an – then within these parameters the issue of which is the more logical understanding of Jesus is contingent upon understanding the essential nature of God himself. Since the Qur’an insists on Allah’s utter transcendence then, of course, it seems logical for Arja to conclude that it is impossible to conceive of Jesus being God. But this is not the case if the Qur’an’s view of God is misconceived and if the true and living God is not merely a God of transcendence but also of immanence. As John Frame expresses it:

Christian language is “ordinary,” verifiable, because God is not only the transcendent Lord; he is also “with us,” close to us.  These two attributes do not conflict with one another.  God is close to us because he is Lord.  He is Lord, and thus free to make his power felt everywhere we go.  He is Lord, and thus able to reveal himself clearly to us, distinguishing himself from all mere creatures.  He is Lord, and therefore the most central fact of our experience, the least avoidable, the most verifiable.

So when it comes to discussing with Muslims whether Jesus is God or not the more basic question concerns what is the nature of God himself. Here it is critical to recognise that the biblical presentation of God (in the Old Testament as well as the New) is radically different from that of the Qur’an and that, therefore, one must decide which of these books is truly the Word of God – the Bible or the Qur’an?

Having said this, from a Christian perspective it is essential to centre the discussion on Jesus himself because it is undeniable that he is a person of extraordinary historical significance, with an impact on almost every people group on the face of the globe. Further, much as Arja and fellow Muslims will deny this – solely on the basis of their belief in the supreme authority of the Qur’an and not on historiographical grounds – the crucifixion of Christ is as certain a fact of history as any fact of history can be. The very fact that the Qur’an denies this calls in serious question the authenticity of its portrayal of Jesus.

Posted December 4, 2010

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