Answering Islam Email Dialogs


Topic: "Son of God"? / Why should I read the Bible?

Received: 18 August 2004

Subject:Hello there

Hello there. I am ..., also originally from Iraq and would like to invite you all to Islam. What you say about freedom of speech is wrong.  It doesnt exist anywhere in the world and it never existed, I believe. If you are interested in debate you are most welcome...

take care

...


Answering-Islam's response

Greetings ...,

I'll make this first email short, but we do want you to know that we appreciate you taking the time to write. Your email was passed on to me by the webmaster of our Arabic site since you wrote in English. I oversee the English emails responses. Yes, the Arabic webmaster is from Iraq. You can read his personal story by going to: http://www.answering-islam.org/Testimonies/athanasios.html

I am happy to answer from the Scriptures any sincere questions you may have. Meanwhile, allow me to ask you a question: Have you ever read the Bible for yourself? If you have not, I would suggest you start by reading the New Testament (which tells how God's unalterable plan of salvation—progressively revealed in the Old Testament Scriptures of the prophets—has been perfectly fulfilled). Once you complete this section of Scripture, go back to the beginning and read the entire Bible. Its message may surprise you. Or, if you want to gain a relatively quick, yet accurate understanding of the Bible, read "ALL THAT THE PROPHETS HAVE SPOKEN". Be sure to read the whole book. Every chapter is critical. This well-illustrated book brings together more than 1000 key verses from Scripture and shows how the words of the Prophets fit together like pieces to a puzzle. This book will give you an understanding of the Bible's main message. Whether or not you choose to believe it... will be entirely up toyou.
         For free download: www.goodseed.com/theprophetsenglish.html
         For purchase: http://www.goodseed.com/usa/store.aspx
 
If you prefer to read something in Arabic, check out a book I wrote. It is called THE WAY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.
       <> English: www.injil.org/TWOR
       <> Arabic: http://www.TheGrace.com/books/TWOR/  

Salaam,

Brahim


EMAIL #2

Subject: Re: Hello there.

Thanks for your email Brahim, but there are two problems:

You see I know from the Quran that
    a)The bible of today is distorted eg Saying Jesus is Son etc, and
    b)That it is no longer valid for humanity today, as God Almighty has sent a final message and messenger to mankind.

So what is the point of me reading the Bible if I know those things about it?

What is your answer?

Many thanks

...

ANSWERING-ISLAM'S RESPONSE #2

Greetings ...,

Thanks for your response. I am happy to say God has provided us with clear, satisfying answers to your "two problems". But before I share a few thoughts, you may want consider a couple questions...

a.) What do you understand by the biblical term "Son of God"?

b.) As you know, the Bible and the Qur'an seriously contradict each other on some very important issues. What are your reasons for choosing to accept the Qur'an's authority (revealed through one man over 23 years) over the Bible's authority (revealed through 40 men over 1500 years)?

You also ask: "What is the point of me reading the Bible?" I could give many answers to this question, but let me suggest a couple of reasons which hopefully will also address your other two questions.

1.) This first reason may be relatively weak... but if for no other reason— you should read the Bible because it is the world's all time BEST SELLER! When one considers the Bible’s antiquity and influence, it seems safe to say that no person can claim to be thoroughly educated apart from an accurate grasp of this Book’s story and message. Whether you choose to believe it or not, you ought to at least understand for yourself what it teaches, agreed? Century after century, year after year, “The Holy Bible” outsells every other book in the world. In whole or in major part, the Bible has been translated from its original languages into more than 2000 languages. No other book even comes close. Yet despite its unparalleled popularity, the Bible is the most passionately attacked book in human history. To this day, many governments ban the Bible from their people. Millions have been imprisoned, tortured and killed for possessing it, or for believing it and sharing its message. Why is it so despised? Do you understand its central message? If not, you really need to read it for yourself!

2.) Secondly, you should read the Bible, because if it is, as it claims, God’s eternal, inspired and preserved message for all humanity... then nothing is more important than understanding it and believing it. I have studied the Scriptures of the Bible seriously for more than 30 years (and the Qur’an for more than 20 years)... and I have discovered the Bible’s message to be one of perfect consistency and incomparable beauty and power. Once you grasp its message, you will recognize the terrible deception of those who claim that it is “no longer valid.” BTW, that happens to be the same message Satan communicated to Adam and Eve at the beginning of time: he caused them to doubt the validity of God's Word. “Did God really say...?” (Genesis 3)

If you will take time to read the Bible you can learn why Jesus bears the title “the Son of God”. You won’t need to depend on what others say. You will learn what the name “Son of God” means and what it does NOT mean. You will learn that Jesus has hundreds of names and titles in the Bible which teach us about who He really is. For example, He is called “the Door,” but that does not mean that Jesus is a door of wood or of sheet metal. He is also called "the Bread of Life" but that does not mean that Jesus is a loaf of bread. God’s prophets called the Messiah “the Lamb of God,” but that does not mean He is a sheep. Similarly, when God calls Jesus "His Son", it does not mean that God took a wife and had a child by her! Such thoughts are blasphemous!

If you would take time to study the Bible, you would learn that God Almighty, the angels and the prophets all refer to the Messiah as “the Son of God.” One obvious reason is because He came forth from God’s very own Spirit. As you know, Jesus was born of a virgin. He had no earthly father. Before He was born, He was in heaven, because He is the very word/voice/expression of God from all eternity. The prophet Micah who prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem also wrote this of Him: “...whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2)

If you will take time to read the Old Testament Scriptures, you will see that God prepared “the Word’s” coming to earth via many prophecies and illustrations. Just a little test: Have you ever heard of “the tabernacle” which God instructed Moses and the children of Israel to construct in the wilderness? What a study! Many years ago, I spent 6 months just studying out this one topic in Scripture. 50 chapters are dedicated to it. It is an amazing study, which begins in Exodus 25, when God tells Moses: "Have them make a sanctuary for me, and I WILL DWELL AMONG THEM. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.” Why would God tell them to do such a thing? Could it have something to do with preparing the world for an even more important event? Every wonder why the prophet Isaiah said that one of the Messiah’s titles would be “Immanuel” which means “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23)?

Elsewhere, the Scripture declares: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.... The Word became flesh and MADE HIS DWELLING among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. ...No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known!” (John 1:1,14,18)

If you will study the Bible, when you come to the book of Hebrews, you will read these words: “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, who he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” (Hebrews 1:1-3) Do these words make perfect sense to you? If they do not, then that is another very good reason to read the Bible... because whether or not you understand these words... the fact is that they make perfect sense to the One who gave them. And they fit together perfectly with all that the prophets wrote in the earlier Scriptures.

1000 years before the Word, i.e. Jesus the Messiah came into the world, the prophet David wrote: “Kiss the Son {give Him homage and submission}, lest He be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for His wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” (Psalm 2:11,12) In the Injil, the apostle John wrote: “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:30,31) “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him!” (John 3:36)

If what the prophets and apostles wrote is true... then to reject the Eternal Word/Son of God is to face God’s wrath and to be barred from His blessings of eternal life. Another excellent reason to study the Bible!

One thing I know that we will both agree on is that man’s unbelief (or belief) in no way affects the Bible and its message. Let me illustrate. Imagine that your local weatherman informs you that a powerful rainstorm is on the way and that much of your town is in serious danger of a being swept away by a flashflood. Whether he is right or wrong, if you chose to disbelieve his warning, your unbelief will not prevent the disaster from happening. Likewise, if you truly believe that the flood is coming, it is not your belief that will make it happen. What ultimately matters are facts... and how you respond to those facts.

Likewise, if the Bible is indeed the Book containing the one true God’s message to mankind... no number of people disbelieving it and arguing against it will lesson the truthfulness of its message. As the Scriptures say, “Let God be true and every man a liar!” (if necessary!)

Many folks today claim (based on what appears to be some rather convincing arguments) that the Scriptures of the Bible have been altered, corrupted, tampered with, etc., etc. and cannot be trusted. Try to suppose for a moment that that might not be the case. Think... what if God really is greater than man and decided that His Book was important enough to protect both its manuscripts and its message for every generation...???

OK, I must stop here. Sorry to be so long winded. I leave you for now with an invitation from the the One who gave us the Bible:

“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters;
     And you who have no money, Come buy and eat...
 Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
     And your wages for what does not satisfy?
 Listen diligently to Me, and eat what is good,
     And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
 Incline your ear, and come to Me.
     Hear, and your soul shall live;
         And I will make an everlasting covenant with you...
 Seek the LORD while He may be found,
    Call upon Him while He is near.” (Penned by the Prophet Isaiah 55:1-6)

 God bless you, ...,

Brahim


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