Jesus in Christianity
9 items across 2 content types
Debates (2)
2:54:50Muslim Faces 10 — Jesus Is Not Almighty God According to the Bible
A structured summary of a long debate about whether Jesus is Almighty God according to the Bible, followed by a second prompt about whether Muhammad is clearly mentioned in the Bible. The discussion repeatedly turns on Bible verses about Jesus and God, Qur'anic names and titles, shirk, takfir, translation differences, Psalm 83:18, Jeremiah 23:5-6, Revelation 1 and 22, manuscript corruption, and Qur'anic authority over previous scripture.
1:22:1020 Christians vs 1 Muslim — Uthman ibn Farooq at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
A structured debate between Shaykh Uthman ibn Farooq and twenty students and professors from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary — the largest Baptist Bible university in America — held in Louisville, Kentucky. The debate rotates through four prompts via a flag-vote elimination mechanism: (1) The Prophet Muhammad is clearly mentioned in the Bible; (2) Jesus is not God according to the Bible; (3) Jesus is a prophet and servant of God; and (4) the Bible is not 100% preserved. Participants include a Conservative Presbyterian, a Biblical Unitarian pastor, Catholic and non-denominational students, an Episcopalian, and others. Key arguments cover Song of Solomon 5:16 (Muhammadim), Isaiah 42 (Kedar, Sal'a, Mushallam), ego imai in Luke and John, divine omniscience and hypostatic union, Acts 3:13, Hebrews 2:7-9, the Johannine Comma, Mark 16:9-20, Matthew-Luke genealogy contradictions, and the manuscript and chain-of-transmission preservation of the Quran.
Debate Excerpts (7)
Individual points from debates discussing this topic
“What is the final rebuttal to the Jeremiah argument?”
The rebuttal is that the verse speaks about a Messiah and not explicitly about Jesus, and even if Jesus is the Messiah, the description still does not match the historical circumstances of Jesus' ministry. The speaker ends this section by saying the text is being over-read to force a conclusion it does not actually state.
“What is the second prompt?”
Uthman announces the second prompt: I do not believe Jesus is God himself according to the Bible.
“What is the third prompt?”
Uthman announces the third prompt: I believe Jesus is a prophet of God and a servant of God in accordance with the Bible.
“How does Jesus being sent by God negate Jesus being God himself?”
Uthman asks: so you are saying God sent Jesus? The student says yes. Uthman responds: then that negates him being God, because he is sent by God. If God himself came, he would not say he is a messenger of God — he would say I am God. When you say God sent Jesus, you are saying a sender (God) dispatched a recipient (Jesus). These are two distinct entities. God sent God is a statement that only makes sense if you already believe in two separate divine persons — which is a Trinitarian presupposition, not a biblical inference. The student transitions to asking about Islamic theology of creation rather than pressing the point.
“What is the messenger analogy that proves a messenger of God cannot be God?”
Uthman gives a concrete analogy: if he wants to send a message to someone, he sends a person — say, Ameen — as his messenger. Ameen would say I am a messenger of Uthman. But if Uthman himself came to deliver the message, he would not say I am a messenger of Uthman — he would say I am Uthman and here is my message. The fact that Jesus is described throughout the Bible as a prophet of God, a messenger of God, and a servant of God places him in the role of the sent one, not the sender. If Jesus were God himself, these descriptions would be self-defeating. God does not send himself and then describe the sent one as his own servant.
“What does Acts 3:13 say about Jesus as the servant of God?”
Uthman quotes Acts 3:13: the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — the God of our fathers — glorified his servant Jesus. The verse uses the phrase his servant Jesus. The God of Abraham is glorifying someone he calls his servant. The participant who just agreed that God cannot be a servant of anybody is now confronted with the Bible calling Jesus God's servant. Since God cannot be a servant but the Bible calls Jesus God's servant, Jesus cannot be God. The participant agrees: Jesus being a servant of God means he is not God.
“What does Hebrews 2:7-9 reveal about Jesus being made lower than the angels?”
Uthman asks: would you agree that God cannot be lower than the angels? The participant answers yes, absolutely. Uthman then cites Hebrews 2:7-9, which states that Jesus was made a little lower than the angels. If God cannot be lower than the angels, and Jesus was made lower than the angels, then Jesus cannot be God. The participant agrees with both premises and both conclusions: Jesus as described in Hebrews is below God and below the angels, making him a prophet and a servant — not God. Uthman adds that in Islamic belief, pious people and prophets are even higher in status than the angels. The participant laughs and says they are in agreement on this. He then mentions he is finding it increasingly difficult to believe in God at all due to his physics studies — and is voted out.