Muslims! Here are some great ways for all of us to save time when you're debating Christians about Jesus, Christianity and the Bible.
These are listed in no particular order:
Tip#1
Yes, Jesus does say He is God in the Bible, over and over and over again. Here is just one example:
"But Yeshua said to him, “I AM THE LIVING GOD, and you shall behold The Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of Heaven.” Mark 14:62, the Aramaic Bible in Plain English
We know, we know. You got sold a bill of goods. But don't look at us. We're not the ones following a non-eyewitness self-professing prophet who never did any miracles, never proved that YHWH God had sent him, and who lived 600 years later and 1,200 kilometers away from all the events recorded in the Bible.
The good news is, our guys in the Bible know exactly what they're talking about, and that's why it's important to read the Bible... so that you're not left out.
Tip#2
Yes, Jesus is a man. No Christian disputes that. That is the whole point of the Gospel. That's why His coming and His birth were such a big deal for God: He had the prophets saying it was going to happen, the angels singing in the heavens, the virgin birth, the star that guided magi from the East for years, all of that was God saying:
Yes, Jesus is a man. No Christian disputes that. That is the whole point of the Gospel. That's why His coming and His birth were such a big deal for God: He had the prophets saying it was going to happen, the angels singing in the heavens, the virgin birth, the star that guided magi from the East for years, all of that was God saying:
"Yoooohooooo! Mankiiiiiiind! I'm sending you My Son to be born as a human being just like you!"
But Jesus was not a man who became God. He is God Who took the form of man. Here is how John tells it:
1 In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 All things were created through Him,
and apart from Him not one thing was created
that has been created.
...
14 The Word became flesh
and took up residence among us.
We observed His glory,
the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth. John 1
We aren't making it up. It's all in the Bible that has never been corrupted. The same one that you guys never read.
But Jesus was not a man who became God. He is God Who took the form of man. Here is how John tells it:
1 In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 All things were created through Him,
and apart from Him not one thing was created
that has been created.
...
14 The Word became flesh
and took up residence among us.
We observed His glory,
the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth. John 1
We aren't making it up. It's all in the Bible that has never been corrupted. The same one that you guys never read.
Tip#3
Yes, we know Jesus came as a Servant so no amount of quoting to us from the Book of Acts is going to surprise us. Jesus Himself said,
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 (see also Matthew 20:28 and Isaiah 53)
Tip#4
No, Christians do not believe in 3 gods. Never have, never will. Christians are Monotheists, meaning we believe in ONE God. But Moses makes it clear in the Torah that God is not a simple unity. Elohim is a plural, not singular, unity. The God of the Bible is complex and impossible for man to comprehend with his finite mind, otherwise He wouldn't be God.
As Christian apologist Dr. David Wood says, "If you can understand your god, then he isn't God."
Yes, we know Jesus came as a Servant so no amount of quoting to us from the Book of Acts is going to surprise us. Jesus Himself said,
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 (see also Matthew 20:28 and Isaiah 53)
As Christian apologist Dr. David Wood says, "If you can understand your god, then he isn't God."
Tip#5
Tip#6
Do read your Quran at least once and know your Hadith before coming into a debate group. Nothing is more embarrassing than to have a Christian quote you an ayah or Hadith that you have never read, then you call him a liar and deceiver, only for you to find out that it's in there all right.
And yes, yes, we know there are hundreds of thousands of Hadith and you could never read them all in a million years but hey, it was your Allah who said he would send you a clear Quran. It's not our fault that it takes hundreds of thousands of Hadith to understand Allah's "clear Quran."
Tip#7
Don't say, "Islam has all the answers!" Having spent years in these debate groups, Christians already know Islam doesn't have answers. If it did, then there wouldn't be all those unanswered questions posed to you by Christians day in and day out.
Tip#8
Atheist and antiChristian websites are not the best places to find proper interpretation of the Scriptures. Read the verse for yourself in its full context and do your own research first.
This site not only has the Bible in many different translations...
http://biblehub.com
but it also has several commentaries for the verse that you are reading. Just scroll down towards the bottom of the page to read them.
Tip#9
No, the word "Trinity" isn't in the Bible, but then neither is the word "tauheed" (or "tawhid," or "tawheed," however you want to spell it.) Even if the word "Trinity" never appears in the Bible, it is a concept that is taught in its pages, just as "tawheed" is taught in the Quran.
But anyway that's about as silly an argument as "Where is the word Bible in the Bible?"
Now that we've covered these tips, we hope that the time we do spend debating can now focus on the things that do need to be discussed, such as:
What was the Old Testament all about? What, or Who, was it all pointing to?
What was the point of all those ceremonies revolving around sacrifice?
Who is YHWH and how is He different from Allah?
Why does He love you so much that He would send His Son to die a most cruel death in your behalf?
Doesn't all that sound so much more interesting?
See you in the groups!
See also:
Where is the Word Bible in the Bible?
http://apologika.blogspot.com/2014/01/where-is-word-bible-in-bible.html
Where Does Jesus Say "I Am God" in the Aramaic Bible?
http://apologika.blogspot.com/2014/09/where-does-jesus-say-i-am-god-in.html
Where Does Jesus Say, "I Am YHWH (God)" in the Bible?
http://apologika.blogspot.com/2013/12/where-does-jesus-say-i-am-yhwh-god.html
Comparing the Bible and Quranic Manuscripts
http://apologika.blogspot.com/2014/04/comparing-bible-and-quranic-manuscripts.html
Where Does the Bible Teach the Trinity?
http://apologika.blogspot.com/2014/02/where-does-bible-teach-trinity.html
A Glimpse of the Trinity in the Old Testament
http://apologika.blogspot.com/2014/08/a-glimpse-of-trinity-in-old-testament.html
Who is YHWH and how is He different from Allah?
Why does He love you so much that He would send His Son to die a most cruel death in your behalf?
Doesn't all that sound so much more interesting?
See you in the groups!
See also:
Where is the Word Bible in the Bible?
http://apologika.blogspot.com/2014/01/where-is-word-bible-in-bible.html
Where Does Jesus Say "I Am God" in the Aramaic Bible?
http://apologika.blogspot.com/2014/09/where-does-jesus-say-i-am-god-in.html
Where Does Jesus Say, "I Am YHWH (God)" in the Bible?
http://apologika.blogspot.com/2013/12/where-does-jesus-say-i-am-yhwh-god.html
Comparing the Bible and Quranic Manuscripts
http://apologika.blogspot.com/2014/04/comparing-bible-and-quranic-manuscripts.html
Where Does the Bible Teach the Trinity?
http://apologika.blogspot.com/2014/02/where-does-bible-teach-trinity.html
A Glimpse of the Trinity in the Old Testament
http://apologika.blogspot.com/2014/08/a-glimpse-of-trinity-in-old-testament.html
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