responses to islamic information-this is our god, the servant king

8/4/2019 Responses to Islamic Information-This is Our God, The Servant King

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Responses to "Islamic Information"

This Is Our God, the Servant King

Shabir Ally has written two articles attempting to show that the book of Acts denies the perfect Deity of the Lord Jesus. Instead of dealing with both papers we will address two

specific points from one paper, while fully addressing the other, since they basically repeat

the same thing.

All biblical quotations taken from the nglish Standard !ersion "S!#, unless noted

otherwise.

In his paper, $idence %rom Acts of the Apostles, Shabir writes&

... 'hroughout this period they ne$er refer to Jesus as (od. 'hey continually and consistently

use the title (od to refer to someone other than Jesus.

And&

)(od has raised this Jesus ...) "Acts *&+*#.

)(od has made this Jesus both Lord and hrist) "Acts *&+-#.

In both passages, the title (od is turned away from Jesus. hy/ 0 if Jesus is (od.

RESPONSE

Shabir erroneously assumes that since the title (od is consistently used for someone other

than Jesus this therefore pro$es that the Apostles did not belie$e in hrist1s Deity. Shabir1s

non2sequitor only demonstrates that he is not interested in trying to understand what the 3oly

4ible teaches on this sub5ect. Shabir seems to falsely assume that the only way for either the

Apostles or the 6' writers to affirm the Deity of the Lord Jesus is by applying the title (od

to him. Shabir fails to reali7e that the title (od is primarily "but not always# applied to the

%ather not so much to deny the Deity of either the Son or the 3oly Spirit, but because the

term was treated almost as a proper name for the %ather. 3ence, to call Jesus (od without any

qualification may ha$e led to some confusion and caused some to think that Jesus is the same

8erson as the %ather.

'o show why Shabir1s point here is rather weak consider that the 6' consistently and

primarily applies the title Lord to Jesus in much the same way that (od is used for the %ather.

an we therefore infer from this that since Lord is most often used of hrist that the %ather is

therefore somehow not Lord/ 9b$iously not, which shows that Shabir really has nothing

substanti$e to say against the Deity of hrist.

4esides, if Shabir is truly serious about the non2use of (od in reference to Jesus then why

does he fail to mention that there are places where Jesus is called (od/ hy does he not

belie$e the Deity of hrist when there are passages which do apply the term to him/ %or

instance, the following passages all use the noun (od in connection with Jesus&

http://www3.sympatico.ca/shabir.ally/new_page_40.htm

http://www3.sympatico.ca/shabir.ally/new_page_40.htm



)%or to us a child is born, to us a son is gi$en: and the go$ernment shall be upon his shoulder,

and his name shall be called onderful ounselor, Mighty God , $erlasting %ather, 8rince of

8eace. 9f the increase of his go$ernment and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of

Da$id and o$er his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with 5ustice and with

righteousness from this time forth and fore$ermore. 'he 7eal of the L9;D of hosts will do

this.) Isaiah <&-2=

)In the beginning was the ord, and the ord was with (od, and the Word was God ... 6o

one has e$er seen (od: the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.)

John >&>, >?

)'homas answered him, @ My Lord and my God!1 Jesus said to him, @3a$e you belie$ed

because you ha$e seen me/ 4lessed are those who ha$e not seen and yet ha$e belie$ed.1)

John *&*?2*<

)'o them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the hrist who

is God over all, blessed forever . Amen.) ;omans <&B

)waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus

Christ ,) 'itus *&>+

)Simeon 8eter, a ser$ant and apostle of Jesus hrist, 'o those who ha$e obtained a faith of

equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ &) * 8eter

>&>

)And we know that the Son of (od has come and has gi$en us understanding, so that we may

know him who is true: and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ e is the trueGod and eternal life.) > John B&*

6ow does this mean that Shabir will accept the fact that Jesus is (od solely because the

preceding passages call hrist (od/ e highly doubt it which only shows that Shabir1s

argument is nothing more than a smokescreen, and he is only trying to twist the 3oly 4ible in

order to confuse uninformed hristians about what the 3oly Scriptures truly teach in regards

to Jesus.C>

'hirdly, the 6' writers call Jesus Lord in the sense of one who is uni$ersally so$ereign o$er

all creation, thereby implying his Deity. In fact, we will see that when the 6' authors apply

the word Lord to Jesus they intended to con$ey the idea that Jesus is Eahweh (od since the(reek word for Lord " "urios# was used throughout the (reek 9ld 'estament translation "the

Septuagint, LFF# in place of (od1s Di$ine 6ame E33 "known as the 'etragrammaton#.

'hus, the 6' authors found other ways to con$ey the idea that Jesus was (od without ha$ing

to necessarily use the word (od.

Shabir also focuses on 8eter1s sermon on the Day of 8entecost&

8eter stood up with the ele$en disciples and addressed the crowd saying&



)Gen of Israel, listen to this& Jesus of 6a7areth was a man accredited to you by (od with

miracles, wonders and signs which (od did among you through him, as you yoursel$es

know) "Acts *&**#.

It was (od, therefore, who did the miracles through Jesus to con$ince people that Jesus was

backed by (od. 8eter did not see the miracles as proof that Jesus is (od.

Shabir selecti$ely quotes from 8eter1s sermons recorded throughout the book of Acts and

gi$es the impression that 8eter belie$ed that Jesus was only a man. 'rinitarians affirm that

Jesus was truly, fully human, yet without sin, man as (od intended man to be. 'rinitarians

also belie$e that (od "the %ather# performed his works in and through Jesus, as hrist

himself said&

)Jesus answered them, @ # have shown you many good wor$s from the Father : for which of

them are you going to stone me/1... @ #f # am not doing the wor$s of my Father , then do not

belie$e me: but if I do them, e$en though you do not belie$e me, believe the wor$s, that you

may know and understand that the Father is in me and # am in the Father .1) John >&+*, +=2+?

)Do you not belie$e that # am in the Father and the Father is in me% 'he words that I say to

you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his wor$s.

4elie$e me that I am in the %ather and the %ather is in me, or else belie$e on account of the

works themsel$es.) John >H&>2>>

8eter1s statements and the abo$e passages affirm what 'rinitarians belie$e on the basis of the

3oly 4ible. 'he three 8ersons of the (odhead always work in perfect union, ne$er acting

independently. hrist1s human body became the physical $ehicle through which all three

8ersons of the (odhead performed the $ery works of (od&

)4ut if it is by the S&irit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of (od has come

upon you.) Gatthew >*&*?

)4ut if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of (od has come

upon you.) Luke >>&*

Lest the readers misunderstand, we are not saying that the %ather or the Spirit became man

since they did not. It was the Son who became a true human being. hat we are saying is that

all three 8ersons were working "and always work# in perfect union in accomplishing (od1s purpose during the earthly ministry of hrist.

'hat 8eter is simply affirming hrist1s humanity, without denying his full Deity, will become

more e$ident a little later on.

e now display Shabirs second article, Jesus is a Ser$ant of (od, in its entirety and will then

seek to address it fully by (od1s grace&

Jesus is a Servant of God

It will be quickly ob$ious that they often referred to him as a ser$ant of (od, but ne$er Sonof (od. 8eter, for eample, said&

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)'he (od of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the (od of our fathers, has glorified his ser$ant

Jesus) "Acts +&>+#.

8eter further said&

)(od raised up his ser$ant) "Acts +&*-#, where the title ser$ant refers to Jesus.

6ot only 8eter, but the entire group of belie$ers $iewed Jesus as (od1s ser$ant. hen they

raised their $oices together in prayer to (od, in the course of their speaking to (od they

called Jesus )your holy ser$ant Jesus whom you anointed) "Acts H&*=#. 'hey repeated this

title also in $erse +. onsistently, Jesus was being called ser$ant of (od by the original

followers of Jesus.

Some people mistakenly thought that the disciples called Jesus Son of (od. An inconsistency

of translation actually helped to gi$e this wrong impression. In the King James 4ible, the

translators call Jesus @Son of (od1 in Acts +&>+, *-, and @child of (od1 in Acts H&*=. 'hey

simply translated the (reek word paida as @son1 or @child1. 4ut the word paida also means@ser$ant1, and the present contet demands this translation since the author of Acts is trying in

this passage to establish that Jesus is indeed the ser$ant of (od.

'he translators knew that the (reek word &aida means ser$ant. hen the same word was

used for Da$id in chapter H, $erse *B, they translated it @ser$ant1. hy not call Jesus also by

the same title/ 9r, if they feel that @son1 is the correct translation, why not also call Da$id

@Son of (od1/ Jesus and Da$id are both called by the same title in (reek. hy not call them

by a same title in nglish also/

9ther translators recognised this inconsistency and corrected it in the modern translations ofthe 4ible. 'herefore the 6ew International !ersion of the 4ible and many others call Jesus

Ser$ant of (od in the $erses already quoted abo$e. 6e$ertheless, the fact that Jesus was

(od1s ser$ant was so well known that e$en the King James 4ible called him by this title in

Gatthew >*&>?. ;eferring back to Isaiah H*&>, Gatthew identified Jesus as the ser$ant of the

one true (od Eahweh.

In the net part, we will see how the eagerness in some people to call Jesus @Son of (od1 led

them to in$ent eplanations that indirectly insult (od.

RESPONSE

Shabir is gi$ing his readers the misleading impression that the disciples do not e$er call Jesus

the Son of (od on the basis that the few passages that he cites use a word which can mean

ser$ant. 3e con$eniently ignores tons of other citations which refute his claim.

%or instance, Shabir is correct that the word used in the abo$e passages is &aida, which can

mean ser$ant or child 5ust as Shabir himself reali7es. Shabir, by mentioning Da$id, seems to

want to pro$e that the use of the title &aida in reference to Jesus shows that hrist wasn1t

anything more than a prophet.

%irst, it doesn1t follow that 5ust because the same word is used for both Da$id and Jesus that

it therefore must ha$e the same meaning in both instances or that Da$id and Jesus arenecessarily equals. 'he word can ha$e a different andor fuller meaning depending on the



contet and the referent. %or eample, e$en though Da$id was (od1s ser$ant he still wasn1t

on the same le$el with hrist since he isn1t the same kind of ser$ant that Jesus was. %or

instance, Jesus is the only perfect ser$ant of (od who perfectly obeyed whate$er (od

commanded. f. John H&+*2+H: B&><: ?&*<.

Da$id, on the other hand, often failed (od and e$en committed gross sins against him "cf. *Samuel >>2>*, *H: 8salm B>#. 'hus, Jesus was a different kind of ser$ant than Da$id, he

being the only perfect and sinless ser$ant of (od to e$er walk this earth.

In fact, according to the Lord Jesus, Da$id glorified the hrist as his so$ereign&

)4ut he said to them, @3ow can they say that the hrist is Da$ids son/ %or Da$id himself

says in the 4ook of 8salms, )'he Lord said to my Lord , Sit at my right hand, until I make

your enemies your footstool.) avid thus (alls him Lord , so how is he his son/1) Luke *&H>2

HH

'hus, Jesus as the Gessiah is $astly superior to Da$id in both nature and position.

Second, Da$id was a foreshadowing of Jesus in that he too was a son of (od and anointed

King&

)I ha$e found Da$id my ser$ant: with my sacred oil I ha$e anointed him. 3e will call out to

me, @Eou are my Father , my (od, the ;ock my Sa$ior.1 I will also appoint him my firstborn,

the most e)alted of the $ings of the earth.) 8salm ?<&*, *-2*= 6I!

It is quite plausible that Da$id is called &aida in the sense of child or son, much like the Lord

Jesus. Again, Da$id1s sonship isn1t eactly identical to hrist1s sonship, since the latter is theeternal, di$ine Son of (od, as we will be showing shortly.

e e$en find the word &aida used in the 9' Apocryphal literature where we clearly see from

the contet that the meaning is son or child. It e$en directly relates to the crucifiion scene of

the Lord Jesus&

)Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is incon$enient to us and opposes our

actions: he reproaches us for sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training.

3e professes to ha$e knowledge of (od, and calls himself a (hild of the Lord *&aida "uriou+.

3e became to us a reproof of our thoughts: the $ery sight of him is a burden to us, because

his manner of life is unlike that of others, and his ways are strange. e are considered by himas something base, and he a$oids our ways as unclean: he calls the last end of the righteous

happy, and boasts that God is his father . Let us see if his words are true, and let us test what

will happen at the end of his life: for if the righteous man is God's son *huios heou+, he will

hel& him, and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries. Let us test him with insult

and torture, that we may find out how gentle he is, and make trial of his forbearance. Let us

(ondemn him to a shameful death, for, according to what he says, he will be protected.)

isdom of Solomon *&>*2*

ith that said, we do agree with Shabir that the contet points in the direction of

understanding the word &aida to mean ser$ant as opposed to the KJ!1s child. 4ut Shabir fails

to inform his readers that Acts uses another term to affirm hrist1s sonship, namely huios&



)And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, @ e is the Son of God

*houtos ho huios tou theou+.1) Acts <&*

)And we bring you the good news that what (od promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled

to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second 8salm, @-ou are my Son

* Huios mou ei su+, today I ha$e begotten you.1) Acts >+&+*2++

'hird, (od is called %ather se$eral times throughout Acts, twice by Jesus himself&

)And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for

the promise of the Father , which, he said, @you heard from me: for John bapti7ed with water,

but you will be bapti7ed with the 3oly Spirit not many days from now.1 So when they had

come together, they asked him, @Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel/1 3e

said to them, @It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fied by his own

authority.1) Acts >&H2=

'his presupposes the sonship of hrist and of belie$ers.

%ourth, Acts is a companion $olume to the book of Luke, being written by the same author.

Luke, throughout his (ospel, emphatically affirms Jesus1 Di$ine Sonship as the following

eamples show&

)@And behold, you will concei$e in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name

Jesus. 3e will be great and will be (alled the Son of the Most igh * huios hu&histou+. And

the Lord (od will gi$e to him the throne of his father Da$id, and he will reign over the house

of Ja(ob forever, and of his $ingdom there will be no end 1... And the angel answered her, @'he

3oly Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Gost 3igh will o$ershadow you:therefore the child to be born will be called holy 22 the Son of God * huios theou+.) Luke >&+>2

++, +B

)6ow when all the people were bapti7ed, and when Jesus also had been bapti7ed and was

praying, the hea$ens were opened, and the 3oly Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like

a do$e: and a $oice came from hea$en, @-ou are my beloved Son *Su ei ho huios mou ho

aga&eetos+: with you I am well pleased.1) Luke +&*>2**

)All things ha$e been handed o$er to me by my %ather, and no one knows who the Son *ho

huios + is ecept the %ather, or who the %ather is ecept the Son *ho huios + and anyone to

whom the Son *ho huios + chooses to re$eal him.) Luke >&**

)'hen the owner of the $ineyard said, @hat shall I do/ # will send my beloved son *ton

huion mou ton aga&eeton+: perhaps they will respect him.1 4ut when the tenants saw him,

they said to themsel$es, @his is the heir . Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.1

And they threw him out of the $ineyard and killed him. hat then will the owner of the

$ineyard do to them/) Luke *&>+2>B

'herefore, Shabir1s attempt of trying to undermine the Di$ine Sonship of hrist on the basis

that the Apostles used the word &aida in some passages ignores the simple fact that both Luke

and Acts use other terms to con$ey the truth of Jesus being (od1s belo$ed and unique Son.



%ifth, Shabir con$eniently doesn1t quote the passages in contet since he ob$iously reali7es

that a different picture completely emerges from the one he is trying to present. %or instance,

notice what happens when we quote the entire contet of Acts +&

)6ow 8eter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a

man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that iscalled the 4eautiful (ate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing 8eter and John

about to go into the temple, he asked to recei$e alms. And 8eter directed his ga7e at him, as

did John, and said, @Look at us.1 And he fied his attention on them, epecting to recei$e

something from them. 4ut 8eter said, @I ha$e no sil$er and gold, but what I do ha$e I gi$e to

you. #n the name of Jesus Christ of .a/areth, rise u& and wal$!0 1nd he too$ him by the right

hand and raised him u&, and immediately his feet and an$les were made strong 1nd lea&ing

u& he stood and began to wal$, and entered the tem&le with them, wal$ing and lea&ing and

&raising God . And all the people saw him walking and praising (od, and recogni7ed him as

the one who sat at the 4eautiful (ate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled

with wonder and ama7ement at what had happened to him. hile he clung to 8eter and John,

all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomons, astounded. And when8eter saw it he addressed the people& @Gen of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do

you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we ha$e made him walk/ 'he (od of

Abraham, the (od of Isaac, and the (od of Jacob, the (od of our fathers, glorified his

servant Jesus, whom you deli$ered o$er and denied in the presence of 8ilate, when he had

decided to release him. 2ut you denied the oly and 3ighteous 4ne, and as$ed for a

murderer to be granted to you, and you $illed the 1uthor of life, whom God raised from the

dead o this we are witnesses 1nd his name 55 by faith in his name 55 has made this man

strong whom you see and $now, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this

&erfe(t health in the &resen(e of you all . And now, brothers, I know that you acted in

ignorance, as did also your rulers. 2ut what God foretold by the mouth of all the &ro&hets,

that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled . ;epent therefore, and turn again, that your sins

may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and

that he may send the Christ a&&ointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must re(eive until the

time for restoring all the things about whi(h God s&o$e by the mouth of his holy &ro&hets

long ago. Goses said, )'he Lord (od will raise up for you a prophet like me from your

brothers. Eou shall listen to him in whate$er he tells you. And it shall be that e$ery soul who

does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.) And all the prophets who

ha$e spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. Eou

are the sons of the prophets and of the co$enant that (od made with your fathers, saying to

Abraham, )And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.) God, having

raised u& his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wi($edness.1) Acts +&>2*-

'his look at the early life and preaching of the Apostles establishes the following points&

>. 'he Apostles performed supernatural feats and wonders in Jesus' name.

*. (od glorified his ser$ant Jesus.

+. Jesus is the 3oly and ;ighteous 9ne, titles implying hrist1s Deity and essential

purity&



)hich of the prophets did not your fathers persecute/ And they killed those who

announced beforehand the coming of the 3ighteous 4ne, whom you ha$e now

betrayed and murdered,) Acts =&B*

)And he said, @'he (od of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the

3ighteous 4ne and to hear a $oice from his mouth:1) Acts **&>H

ompare the abo$e with the following passages regarding Eahweh1s 3oliness and

;ighteousness&

)'he fear of the L9;D is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the

oly 4ne is insight.) 8ro$erbs <&>

)he 3ighteous 4ne obser$es the house of the wicked: he throws the wicked

down to ruin.) 8ro$erbs *>&>*

)I ha$e not learned wisdom, nor ha$e I knowledge of the oly 4ne.) 8ro$erbs+&+

)'he light of Israel will become a fire, and his oly 4ne a flame, and it will

burn and de$our his thorns and briers in one day. Isaiah >&>=

)%rom the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the 3ighteous

4ne. 4ut I say, @I waste away, I waste away. oe is meM %or the traitors ha$e

betrayed, with betrayal the traitors ha$e betrayed.1) Isaiah *H&>-

)'he way of the righteous is smooth: 4 6&right 4ne, make the path of therighteous le$el.) Isaiah *-&= 6AS4

)'o whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him/ says the oly

4ne.) Isaiah H&*B

H. Jesus is the Author of Life, another title implying Deity since (od is the author or

source of life.

B. Jesus was killed.

-. Jesus was resurrected from the dead.

=. Jesus is currently in hea$en from whence he shall return.

?. All the prophets prophesied about Jesus.

<. Jesus grants healing, faith and turns people away from wickedness.

%inally, Shabir is partially correct that the Apostles, by calling Jesus (od1s Ser$ant, were

identifying hrist as the Ser$ant of Isaiah H*. 'here are four Ser$ant passages in Isaiah, also

known as the Suffering Ser$ant passages& H*&>2=, H<&>2>, B&H2>> and B*&>+2B+&>*. 'he

Apostles were actually alluding to all these passages. 6ote for instance the words of the LordJesus&



)%or I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me& @ 1nd he was numbered with the

transgressors.1 %or what is written about me has its fulfillment.) Luke **&+=

Also notice the following con$ersation between 8hilip the e$angelist and the thiopian

eunuch&

)6ow an angel of the Lord said to 8hilip, @;ise and go toward the south to the road that goes

down from Jerusalem to (a7a.1 'his is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was

an thiopian, a eunuch, a court official of andace, queen of the thiopians, who was in

charge of all her treasure. 3e had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in

his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to 8hilip, @(o o$er and

5oin this chariot.1 So 8hilip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked,

@Do you understand what you are reading/1 And he said, @3ow can I, unless someone guides

me/1 And he in$ited 8hilip to come up and sit with him. .ow the &assage of the S(ri&ture

that he was reading was this7 8Li$e a shee& he was led to the slaughter and li$e a lamb before

its shearer is silent, so he o&ens not his mouth #n his humiliation 9usti(e was denied him

Who (an des(ribe his generation% For his life is ta$en away from the earth.1 And the eunuchsaid to 8hilip, @About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about

someone else/1 'hen 8hilip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him

the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water,

and the eunuch said, )See, here is waterM hat pre$ents me from being bapti7ed/1 And he

commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, 8hilip and the

eunuch, and he bapti7ed him.) Acts ?&*-2+?

'he Lord Jesus appeals to Isaiah B+&>*, with 8hilip specifically identifying Jesus as the

Ser$ant of Isaiah B+&=2?, demonstrating that the early hristians belie$ed that these Suffering

Ser$ant passages all referred to Jesus. And this is the reason why they chose to identify him

as the Ser$ant of (od, as Shabir rightly noted. 4ut the problem for Shabir is that these

Suffering Ser$ant passages identify Eahweh1s Ser$ant as an ealted di$ine 4eing who comes

to atone for the sins of (od1s peopleM

)4ehold, my ser$ant shall act wisely: he shall be high and lifted u&, and shall be e)alted . As

many were astonished at you 22 his a&&earan(e was so marred, beyond human semblan(e,

and his form beyond that of the (hildren of man$ind 22 so shall he sprinkle many nations:

kings shall shut their mouths because of him: for that which has not been told them they see,

and that which they ha$e not heard they understand.) Isaiah B*&>+2>B

'he Ser$ant is ealted to the $ery position of EahwehM

)'he haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled,

and the L43 1L4.: will be e)alted in that day.) Isaiah *&>>, >=

)he L43 is e)alted, for he dwells on high: he will fill Nion with 5ustice and

righteousness... @6ow I will arise,1 says the L9;D, @now # will lift myself u&; now # will be

e)alted . ) Isaiah ++&B, >

)%or thus says the 9ne who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is 3oly&

@ # dwell in the high and holy &la(e, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to

re$i$e the spirit of the lowly, and to re$i$e the heart of the contrite.) Isaiah B=&>B



3ere Eahweh says he is ealted and also dwells with the lowly in spirit. Jesus as the Ser$ant

is the perfect epression of (od1s humbleness and willingness to associate with the lowly and

broken heartedM

'he fact that the Ser$ant is ealted to a status that belongs to Eahweh alone implies that he is

Eahweh (od&

>. Eahweh alone is ealted and lifted on high.

*. 'he Ser$ant is ealted and lifted on high.

+. 'herefore, the Ser$ant is Eahweh (od.

%urthermore, the Ser$ant is identified as the $ery Arm of Eahweh, implying his full Deity&

)'he L9;D has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the

earth shall see the salvation of our God .) Isaiah B*&>

)ho has belie$ed what they heard from us/ 1nd to whom has : 13M 4F : L43

been revealed% %or he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry

ground: he had no form or ma9esty that we should loo$ at him, and no beauty that we should

desire him e was des&ised and re9e(ted by men; a man of sorrows, and a(<uainted with

grief; and as one from whom men hide their fa(es he was des&ised, and we esteemed him not

Surely he has borne our griefs and (arried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stri($en,

smitten by God, and affli(ted 2ut he was wounded for our transgressions; he was (rushed

for our ini<uities; u&on him was the (hastisement that brought us &ea(e, and with his stri&es

we are healed . All we like sheep ha$e gone astray: we ha$e turned e$ery one to his own way:and the L43 has laid on him the ini<uity of us all . 3e was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

yet he opened not his mouth: li$e a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and li$e a shee& that

before its shearers is silent, so he o&ened not his mouth. 4y oppression and 5udgment he was

taken away: and as for his generation, who (onsidered that he was (ut off out of the land of

the living, stri($en for the transgression of my &eo&le% 1nd they made his grave with the

wi($ed and with a ri(h man in his death, although he had done no violen(e, and there was no

de(eit in his mouth -et it was the will of the L43 to (rush him; he has &ut him to grief;

when his soul ma$es an offering for sin, he shall see his offs&ring; he shall &rolong his days;

the will of the L43 shall &ros&er in his hand 4ut of the anguish of his soul he shall see and

be satisfied; by his $nowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, ma$e many to be

a((ounted righteous, and he shall bear their ini<uities. 'herefore I will di$ide him a portionwith the many, and he shall di$ide the spoil with the strong, be(ause he &oured out his soul to

death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and ma$es

inter(ession for the transgressors.) Isaiah B+&>2>+

'he abo$e passages demonstrate that Eahweh1s Ser$ant is the $isible manifestation of (ods

own power sent to redeem (ods people by his death on their behalf. 4y calling the Ser$ant

the Arm of Eahweh, Isaiah indicates that the Ser$ant isn1t only a human being but is also an

intrinsic part of (ods $ery own eternal 4eingM

'hus, what Shabir thought was an argument in his fa$or actually backfires badly against him

and affirms historic hristian beliefs about JesusM



ith this all behind us, we now turn to the book of Acts in order to present a defense of

hrist1s full and perfect Deity.

Evidence from !cts for the eit# of $hrist

'he following citations from Acts will show that the inspired author, as well as the first

hristians, clearly belie$ed and affirmed that the Lord Jesus is (od Incarnate.

%& O'(ect of )orship and Pra#er&

)In the first book, 9 'heophilus, I ha$e dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until

the day when he was taken up, after he had gi$en commands through the 3oly Spirit to the

a&ostles whom he had (hosen... So when they had come together, they asked him, @ Lord

*"urie+, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel/1 3e said to them, )It is not for you

to know times or seasons that the %ather has fied by his own authority... So one of the men

who ha$e accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus *ho "urios 0#esous+ went in

and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up

from us 22 one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.1 And they put

forward two, Joseph called 4arsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Gatthias. And they

prayed and said, @-ou, Lord *"urie+, who $now the hearts of all, show whi(h one of these two you have (hosen to ta$e the &la(e in this ministry and a&ostleshi& from whi(h Judas turned

aside to go to his own &la(e.1 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Gatthias, and he

was numbered with the ele$en apostles.) Acts >&>2*, -2=, *>2*-

'he contet is clear that the Lord to whom the Apostles prayed and confessed was

omniscient, the Lord who had chosen the twel$e and Judas1 replacement, is the Lord Jesus

hrist.

4ut he, full of the 3oly Spirit, ga7ed into hea$en and saw the glory of (od, and Jesus

standing at the right hand of God . And he said, @4ehold, I see the hea$ens opened, and the

Son of Man standing at the right hand of God 1 ... And as they were stoning Stephen, he calledout, @ Lord Jesus *"urie 0#esou+, re(eive my s&irit .1 And falling to his knees he cried out with a

loud $oice, @ Lord *"urie+, do not hold this sin against them.1 And when he had said this, he

fell asleep.) Acts =&BB2B-, B<2-

Stephen, filled with the 3oly Spirit, sees hrist as the glorified Son of Gan who is enthroned

at (od1s right hand. 'he image of hrist as the Son of Gan is intended to in$oke the $ision of

the prophet Daniel&

)I saw in the night $isions, and behold, with the clouds of hea$en there (ame one li$e a son

of man, and he (ame to the 1n(ient of ays and was &resented before him. And to him was

gi$en dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should



ser$e him: his dominion is an e$erlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his

kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.) Daniel =&>+2>H

Stephen1s $ision implies that Jesus is the 9ne whom Daniel saw coming on the clouds of

hea$en to recei$e an eternal kingdom, and whom all nations must ser$eM

Stephen also prays to Jesus in the same eact way that the 8salmist prayed to Eahweh&

) #nto your hand # (ommit my s&irit : you ha$e redeemed me, 9 L9;D, faithful (od.) 8salm

+>&B

In fact, the first Jewish hristians became known for their habit of calling upon the name of

the Lord Jesus&

6ow there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. he Lord said to him in a vision,

@Ananias.1 And he said, @3ere I am, Lord.1 And the Lord said to him, @;ise and go to the

street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of 'arsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a $ision a man named Ananias come in and lay his

hands on him so that he might regain his sight.1 4ut Ananias answered, @Lord, I ha$e heard

from many about this man, how mu(h evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem 1nd here

he has authority from the (hief &riests to bind 1LL W4 C1LL 4. -463 .1M: .1 4ut the

Lord said to him, @(o, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the

(entiles and kings and the children of Israel. %or I will show him how much he must suffer

for the sa$e of my name.1 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on

him he said, @4rother Saul, the Lord Jesus who a&&eared to you on the road by whi(h you

(ame has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the oly S&irit .1 And

immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. 'hen he rose

and was bapti7ed... And all who heard him were ama7ed and said, @Is not this the man who

made ha$oc in Jerusalem of those W4 C1LL: 4. #S .1M:% And has he not come

here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests/1) Acts <&>2>?, *>

)And one Ananias, a de$out man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who

li$ed there, came to me, and standing by me said to me, @4rother Saul, recei$e your sight.1

And at that $ery hour I recei$ed my sight and saw him. And he said, @'he (od of our fathers

appointed you to know his will, to see the 3ighteous 4ne and to hear a voi(e from his mouth:

for you will be a witness for him to e$eryone of what you ha$e seen and heard. And now why

do you wait/ ;ise and be bapti7ed and wash away your sins, (alling on his name.1 hen I

had returned to Jerusalem and was &raying in the tem&le, I fell into a trance and saw him saying to me, @Gake haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, be(ause they will not a((e&t

your testimony about me.1 And I said, @ Lord, they themselves $now that in one synagogue

after another # im&risoned and beat those who believed in you 1nd when the blood of

Ste&hen your witness was being shed , I myself was standing by and appro$ing and watching

o$er the garments of those who killed him.1 And he said to me, (o, for I will send you far

away to the (entiles.1) Acts **&>*2*>

In these passages the Lord Jesus, while in hea$en, is able to appear to his ser$ants in dreams

and $isionsM

'he calling on the name of the Lord Jesus finds its roots in the 9' practice of calling on thename of Eahweh&



)%rom there he mo$ed to the hill country on the east of 4ethel and pitched his tent, with

4ethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the L9;D and (alled

u&on the name of the L43.) (enesis >*&?

)Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in 4eersheba and (alled there on the name of the L43,

the :verlasting God .) (enesis *>&++

)Goses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called upon

his name. hey (alled to the L43, and he answered them.) 8salm <<&+

)And it shall come to pass that e$eryone who (alls on the name of the L43 shall be saved .

%or in Gount Nion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the L9;D has said,

and among the sur$i$ors shall be those whom the L9;D calls.) Joel *&+*

'his means that the first hristians addressed their prayers to Jesus, taking him as the ob5ect

of their worship, in the same eact way that the 9' saints addressed Eahweh in worship. In

other words, the first hristians worshiped Jesus as EahwehM

*& Performs ivine +unctions&

Jesus pours out the 3oly Spirit upon belie$ers&

)4eing therefore ealted at the right hand of (od, and ha$ing recei$ed from the %ather the

promise of the 3oly Spirit, he has &oured out this that you yourselves are seeing and

hearing .) Acts *&++

According to the 9', it is Eahweh who pours out the Spirit 5ust as the $ery contet of Acts *shows&

)4ut this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel& @)And in the last days it shall be,) God

de(lares, =that # will &our out my S&irit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall

prophesy, and your young men shall see $isions, and your old men shall dream dreams: e$en

on my male ser$ants and female ser$ants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they

shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the hea$ens abo$e and signs on the earth below,

blood, and fire, and $apor of smoke: the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to

blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to

pass that e$eryone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be sa$ed.)1) Acts *&>-2*>

Interestingly, (od1s Spirit is also called Jesus1 Spirit in Acts&

)And they went through the region of 8hrygia and (alatia, ha$ing been forbidden by the

oly S&irit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Gysia, they attempted

to go into 4ithynia, but the S&irit of Jesus did not allow them.) Acts >-&-2=

'hus, Jesus does what Eahweh alone can do since he is Eahweh (odM

& -is eath and .odil# Resurrection&

As we saw earlier, the 4ook of Acts affirms the death, physical resurrection and ascension ofthe Lord Jesus, something denied in Islam&



)Gen of Israel, hear these words& Jesus of 6a7areth, a man attested to you by (od with

mighty works and wonders and signs that (od did through him in your midst, as you

yourselves $now 22 this Jesus, deli$ered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge

of (od, you (ru(ified and $illed by the hands of lawless men God raised him u&, loosing the

&angs of death, be(ause it was not &ossible for him to be held by it ... 4rothers, I may say to

you with confidence about the patriarch Da$id that he both died and was buried, and his tombis with us to this day. 4eing therefore a prophet, and knowing that (od had sworn with an

oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and s&o$e

about the resurre(tion of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to ades, nor did his flesh

see (orru&tion his Jesus God raised u&, and of that we all are witnesses 2eing therefore

e)alted at the right hand of God , and ha$ing recei$ed from the %ather the promise of the 3oly

Spirit, he has poured out this that you yoursel$es are seeing and hearing. %or Da$id did not

ascend into the hea$ens, but he himself says, @'he Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand,

until I make your enemies your footstool.1 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for

certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you (ru(ified .1) Acts

*&**2*H, *<2+-

)you yoursel$es know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from (alilee after the

baptism that John proclaimed& how (od anointed Jesus of 6a7areth with the 3oly Spirit and

with power. 3e went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the de$il, for

(od was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and

in Jerusalem. hey &ut him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the

third day and made him to a&&ear, not to all the &eo&le but to us who had been (hosen by

God as witnesses, who ate and dran$ with him after he rose from the dead .) Acts >&+=2H>

)%or those who li$e in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recogni7e him nor

understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read e$ery Sabbath, fulfilled them by

condemning him. 1nd though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they as$ed >ilate to

have him e)e(uted 1nd when they had (arried out all that was written of him, they too$ him

down from the tree and laid him in a tomb 2ut God raised him from the dead, and for many

days he a&&eared to those who had (ome u& with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are

now his witnesses to the &eo&le... 1nd as for the fa(t that he raised him from the dead, no

more to return to (orru&tion, he has spoken in this way, @I will gi$e you the holy and sure

blessings of Da$id.1 'herefore he says also in another psalm, @Eou will not let your 3oly 9ne

see corruption.1 %or Da$id, after he had ser$ed the purpose of (od in his own generation, fell

asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, but he whom God raised u& did not

see (orru&tion.) Acts >+&*=2+>, +H2+=

)6ow when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to 'hessalonica,

where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And 8aul went in, as was his custom, and on three

Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, e)&laining and &roving that it was

ne(essary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead , and saying, @'his Jesus, whom I

proclaim to you, is the hrist.1 And some of them were persuaded and 5oined 8aul and Silas,

as did a great many of the de$out (reeks and not a few of the leading women.) Acts >=&>2H

)So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the de$out persons, and in the

marketplace e$ery day with those who happened to be there. Some of the picurean and Stoic

philosophers also con$ersed with him. And some said, @hat does this babbler wish to say/1

9thers said, @3e seems to be a preacher of foreign di$inities122be(ause he was &rea(hing Jesus and the resurre(tion... @'he times of ignorance (od o$erlooked, but now he commands



all people e$erywhere to repent, because he has fied a day on which he will 5udge the world

in righteousness by a man whom he has a&&ointed; and of this he has given assuran(e to all

by raising him from the dead .1 .ow when they heard of the resurre(tion of the dead, some

mo($ed . 4ut others said, @e will hear you again about this.1) Acts >=&>=2>?, +2+*

)'o this day I ha$e had the help that comes from (od, and so I stand here testifying both tosmall and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Goses said would come to pass&

that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead , he would

proclaim light both to our people and to the (entiles.) Acts *-&**2*+

/& Source of Salvation and -ealing&

)'hen 8eter, filled with the 3oly Spirit, said to them, @;ulers of the people and elders, @if we

are being eamined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means

this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by

the name of Jesus Christ of .a/areth, whom you crucified, whom (od raised from the dead

22 by him this man is standing before you well . 'his Jesus is the stone that was re5ected byyou, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 1nd there is salvation in no one else,

for there is no other name under heaven given among men by whi(h we must be saved .1) Acts

H&?2>*

)And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest

questioned them, saying, @e strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you

ha$e filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this mans blood upon us.1

4ut 8eter and the apostles answered, @e must obey (od rather than men. 'he (od of our

fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God e)alted him at his right

hand as Leader and Savior, to give re&entan(e to #srael and forgiveness of sins. And we are

witnesses to these things, and so is the 3oly Spirit, whom (od has gi$en to those who obey

him.1) Acts B&*=2+*

)6ow as 8eter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who

li$ed at Lydda. 'here he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was

paraly7ed. And 8eter said to him, @ 1eneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and ma$e your bed .1

And immediately he rose. And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they

turned to the Lord. 6ow there was in Joppa a disciple named 'abitha, which, translated,

means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity. In those days she became ill

and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. Since Lydda was

near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that 8eter was there, sent two men to him, urging him,@8lease come to us without delay.1 So 8eter rose and went with them. And when he arri$ed,

they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing

tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them. 2ut >eter &ut them all

outside, and $nelt down and &rayed; and turning to the body he said, 8abitha, arise.1 And

she opened her eyes, and when she saw 8eter she sat up. And he ga$e her his hand and raised

her up. 'hen calling the saints and widows, he presented her ali$e. And it became known

throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord . And he stayed in Joppa for many days

with one Simon, a tanner.) Acts <&+*2H+

)'o him all the prophets bear witness that e$eryone who belie$es in him re(eives forgiveness

of sins through his name.) Acts >&H+



)As I began to speak, the 3oly Spirit fell on them 5ust as on us at the beginning. And I

remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, @John bapti7ed with water, but you will be

bapti7ed with the 3oly Spirit.1 If then (od ga$e the same gift to them as he ga$e to us when

we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ , who was I that I could stand in (ods way/) Acts >>&>B2

>=

)And when he had remo$ed him, he raised up Da$id to be their king, of whom he testified

and said, @I ha$e found in Da$id the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my

will.1 4f this man's offs&ring God has brought to #srael a Savior, Jesus, as he &romised .

4efore his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

And as John was finishing his course, he said, @hat do you suppose that I am/ I am not he.

6o, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet # am not worthy to untie.1)

Acts >+&**2*B

)Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is

&ro(laimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which

you could not be freed by the law of Goses.) Acts >+&+?2+<

)'hen he brought them out and said, @Sirs, what must I do to be sa$ed/1 And they said,

) 2elieve in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household ) Acts >-&+2+>

)4ut we belie$e that we will be saved through the gra(e of the Lord Jesus, 5ust as they will.)

Acts >B&>>

)to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan

to (od, that they may re(eive forgiveness of sins and a &la(e among those who are san(tified

by faith in me.) Acts *-&>?

'hese passages establish that the Lord Jesus grants sal$ation, repentance and forgi$eness of

sins. 'he Lord Jesus is called Leader and Sa$ior and from his grace sinners are declared

righteous. 'he Apostles performed healings in the name of the Lord Jesus. learly, the

Apostles truly belie$ed that Jesus was Sa$ior in the same eact sense that Eahweh is called

Sa$ior throughout the 9'&

) For your name's sa$e, 9 L9;D, pardon my guilt, for it is great.) 8salm *B&>>

)9 (od, save me, by your name, and $indicate me by your might.) 8salm BH&>

)4less the L9;D, 9 my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your ini<uity,

who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the &it , who crowns you with

steadfast lo$e and mercy,) 8salm >+&*2H

)If you, 9 L9;D, should mark iniquities, 9 Lord, who could stand/ 2ut with you there is

forgiveness, that you may be feared... 9 Israel, hope in the L9;DM %or with the L9;D there

is steadfast lo$e, and with him is &lentiful redem&tion 1nd he will redeem #srael from all his

ini<uities.) 8salm >+&+2H, =2?

)I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sa$e, and I will not remember your

sins.) Isaiah H+&*B



0& Sovereign !uthorit#&

'he Lord has so$ereign control o$er the elements, spirits and peoples&

)As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus hrist

"he is Lord of all #... And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is theone appointed by (od to be 9udge of the living and the dead .) Acts >&+-, H*

)hen they had gone through the whole island as far as 8aphos, they came upon a certain

magician, a Jewish false prophet named 4ar2Jesus. 3e was with the proconsul, Sergius

8aulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned 4arnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word

of (od. 4ut lymas the magician "for that is the meaning of his name# opposed them, seeking

to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 4ut Saul, who was also called 8aul, filled with the

3oly Spirit, looked intently at him and said, @Eou son of the de$il, you enemy of all

righteousness, full of all deceit and $illainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight

paths of the Lord/ And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is u&on you, and you will be blind

and unable to see the sun for a time0 #mmediately mist and dar$ness fell u&on him, and hewent about see$ing &eo&le to lead him by the hand . 'hen the proconsul belie$ed, when he

saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the tea(hing of the Lord .) Acts >+&-2>*

)As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a sla$e girl who had a spirit of

di$ination and brought her owners much gain by fortune2telling. She followed 8aul and us,

crying out, @'hese men are ser$ants of the Gost 3igh (od, who proclaim to you the way of

sal$ation.1 And this she kept doing for many days. 8aul, ha$ing become greatly annoyed,

turned and said to the spirit, @ # (ommand you in the name of Jesus Christ to (ome out of her0

1nd it (ame out that very hour .) Acts >-&>-2>?

) 1nd the Lord said to >aul one night in a vision, @ o not be afraid, but go on s&ea$ing and

do not be silent, F43 # 1M W# -46, 1. .4 4.: W#LL 11C" -46 4 13M

-46, for # have many in this (ity who are my &eo&le.1 And he stayed a year and si months,

teaching the word of (od among them.) Acts >?&<2>>

) 1nd God was doing e)traordinary mira(les by the hands of >aul, so that even hand$er(hiefs

or a&rons that had tou(hed his s$in were (arried away to the si($, and their diseases left

them and the evil s&irits (ame out of them. 'hen some of the itinerant Jewish e)or(ists

undertoo$ to invo$e the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil s&irits, saying, 8#

ad9ure you by the Jesus, whom >aul &ro(laims.1 Se$en sons of a Jewish high priest named

Sce$a were doing this. 4ut the e$il spirit answered them, @ Jesus # $now, and >aul # re(ogni/e,but who are you%1 And the man in whom was the e$il spirit leaped on them, mastered all of

them and o$erpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this

became known to all the residents of phesus, both Jews and (reeks. 1nd fear fell u&on them

all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was e)tolled . Also many of those who were now belie$ers

came, confessing and di$ulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced

magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted

the $alue of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of sil$er. So the word of the Lord

(ontinued to in(rease and &revail mightily.) Acts ><&>>2*

)In this connection I 5ourneyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief

priests. At midday, 9 king, I saw on the way a light from hea$en, brighter than the sun, thatshone around me and those who 5ourneyed with me. And when we had all fallen to the



ground, I heard a $oice saying to me in the 3ebrew language, @Saul, Saul, why are you

persecuting me/ It is hard for you to kick against the goads.1 And I said, ho are you, Lord/

And the Lord said, '# am Jesus whom you are &erse(uting . 4ut rise and stand upon your feet,

for I ha$e appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a ser$ant and witness to the

things in whi(h you have seen me and to those in whi(h # will a&&ear to you, :L#?:3#.G

-46 F34M -463 >:4>L: 1. F34M : G:.#L:S 55 to whom # am sending you.)Acts *-&>*2>=

'hese passages presume that hrist has so$ereign authority o$er all creation and has the

power to protect his followers from all things, implying his omnipotence. In other words, the

Lord1s ability to control the masses of people and demons, pre$enting them from harming his

ser$ants, implies that hrist is AlmightyM

%urthermore, hrist telling his Apostles that he will be with them and his ability to forewarn

them of possible dangers implies his omnipresence and omniscience as well. 3ence, the book

of Acts establishes that the Lord Jesus has all the omni2attributes of (odM

1& 2esus is the -uman 3anifestation of 4ah5eh

According to the 9ld 'estament, Eahweh will appear with his hosts and will descend on the

Gount of 9li$es in Jerusalem&

)4ehold, a day is coming for the L9;D, when the spoil taken from you will be di$ided in

your midst. %or I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be

taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. 3alf of the city shall go out into eile,

but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 'hen the L9;D will go out and

fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that da# -IS +EET shall

stand on the 3ount of Olives that lies 'efore 2erusalem on the east, and the 3ount of

Olives shall 'e split in t5o from east to 5est '# a ver# 5ide valle#, so that one half of the

Gount shall mo$e northward, and the other half southward. And you shall flee to the $alley

of my mountains, for the $alley of the mountains shall reach to A7al. And you shall flee as

you fled from the earthquake in the days of O77iah king of Judah. Then the 6OR m# God

5ill come, and all the hol# ones 5ith him.) Nechariah >H&>2B

Nechariah, in his $ision, sees Eahweh1s feet touch the Gount and split it in halfM Eet

according to Acts, Jesus will return to the place from which he ascended, which 5ust so

happens to be the Gount of 9li$es&

)And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he 5as lifted up, and a cloud

too7 him out of their sight& !nd 5hile the# 5ere ga8ing into heaven as he 5ent , behold,

two men stood by them in white robes, and said, @Gen of (alilee, why do you stand looking

into hea$en/ This 2esus, 5ho 5as ta7en up from #ou into heaven, 5ill come in the same

5a# as #ou sa5 him go into heaven&1 Then the# returned to 2erusalem +RO3 T-E

3O9NT $!66E O6I:ET, 5hich is near 2erusalem, a Sabbath days 5ourney away.)

Acts >&<2>*

'hus, Jesus is Eahweh (od whom Nechariah saw descending upon the Gount of 9li$es and

whose feet split it in halfM



'he preceding e$idence from the inspired book of Acts should lea$e no doubts that the first

Apostles belie$ed and preached that Jesus is the eternal Son of (od, the $ery (od who

became man for our redemption.

ome Lord Jesus, comeM Eou truly are the eternal So$ereign Lord and King of all things. e

lo$e you fore$er and will always profess that you are (od to the glory of your eternal %ather.Amen.

Sam Shamoun

8.S.& Shabir tried to con$ince his readership that because Jesus is called )ser$ant), therefore

he cannot be (od. 3owe$er, the real question is not )Is he Ser$ant OR is he (od/), but

)hat kind of (od are we talking about/) hat is the true character of (od/ 'he 4iblical

(od is a Ser$ant (od, a humble (od, not the proud and lofty (od of Islam.

8osing this as an )either ... or ...) question, i.e. )either ser$ant or (od), may make sense in an

Islamic framework of thought, in which it is unimaginable that (od is humble and could"e$en $oluntarily# ser$e anyone. 'he fact that Shabir is posing this as an eclusi$e alternati$e

only shows that he has not understood anything about 4iblical theology, and sub5ects the

4ible to Islamic pre5udices instead of reading the 4ible on its own terms.

$en though this is found throughout the 4ible, three passages from the (ospel of John and

one from Gark should be sufficient to illustrate the ser$ant character of (od as displayed

most clearly in Jesus himself&

... Jesus knew that the time had come for him to lea$e this world and go to the %ather. 3a$ing

lo$ed his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full etent of his lo$e. ...2esus 7ne5 that the +ather had put all things under his po5er , and that he had come from

(od and was returning to (od: so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and

wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash

his disciples feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 3e came to

Simon 8eter, who said to him, )Lord, are you going to wash my feet/) Jesus replied, )Eou do

not reali7e now what I am doing, but later you will understand.) )6o,) said 8eter, )you shall

ne$er wash my feet.) Jesus answered, )Onless I wash you, you ha$e no part with me.) )'hen,

Lord,) Simon 8eter replied, )not 5ust my feet but my hands and my head as wellM) Jesus

answered, )A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet: his whole body is clean.

... hen he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place.

)Do you understand what I ha$e done for you/) he asked them. )Eou call me 'eacher and;6ord,; and rightl# so, for that is 5hat I am& 6ow that I, your Lord and 'eacher, ha$e

washed your feet, you also should wash one anothers feet. I ha$e set you an eample that you

should do as I ha$e done for you. "John >+&>, +2>, >*2>H#

8hilip said, )Lord, show us the %ather and that will be enough for us.) Jesus answered& )Dont

you know me, 8hilip, e$en after I ha$e been among you such a long time/ !n#one 5ho has

seen me has seen the +ather& 3ow can you say, Show us the %ather/ "John >H&?2<#

)I am the good shepherd. 'he good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.) "John >&>>#

Jesus called them together and said, )Eou know that those who are regarded as rulers of the(entiles lord it o$er them, and their high officials eercise authority o$er them. 6ot so with

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you. Instead, 5hoever 5ants to 'ecome great among #ou must 'e #our servant, and

whoe$er wants to be first must be sla$e of all. %or e$en the Son of Gan did not come to be

ser$ed, but to ser$e, and to gi$e his life as a ransom for many.) "Gark >&H*2HB#

(od measures greatness differently, and applies the rule to himself as well. 'he di$ine @Son

of Gan1 showed his greatness in his humility and ser$ant heart. 3e is a true ser$ant, i.e. onewho ser$es others out of genuine lo$e, not because he is forced to. It may sound like a

parado, but it is part of (ods greatness that he has the attribute of humility, an attribute that

the (od of Islam is completely lacking.

%urther reading& 'he haracter of (od

Notes

C> 'here may, in fact, be a passage from Acts where the Lord Jesus is eplicitly called (od&

)8ay careful attention to yoursel$es and to all the flock, in which the 3oly Spirit has made

you o$erseers, to care for the (hur(h of God, whi(h he obtained with his own blood .)

'he problem with stating that Jesus is definitely being called (od here is that there are

se$eral $ariant readings in the etant GSS. Some GSS read )the church of the Lord ) as

opposed to )the church of God .) 9ther, later GSS combine both readings together, )the

church of the Lord and God .) 'here is also a debate whether to translate dia tou haimatos tou

idiou as )which he obtained with his own blood ) or )which he obtained with the blood of his

own.) 'he translation )the blood of his own) implies that it wasn1t the blood of (od that

purchased the hurch, but the blood of one dear to (od, a child, i.e. the blood of his Son. 'he

epression is used elsewhere to refer to persons intimately connected to someone, a term of

endearment to near relations&

)3e CJesus came to his own "ta idia#, and his own people *hoi idioi+ did not recei$e him.)

John >&>>

)6ow before the %east of the 8asso$er, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out

of this world to the %ather, ha$ing lo$ed his own *tous idious+ who were in the world, he

lo$ed them to the end.) John >+&>

)9n their release, 8eter and John went back to their own people *tous idious+ and reported all

that the chief priests and elders had said to them.) Acts H&*+ 6I!

)'hen he ga$e orders to the centurion that he should be kept in custody but ha$e some liberty,

and that none of his friends *ton idion+ should be pre$ented from attending to his needs.) Acts

*H&*+

'hus, the tet may actually be saying that (od purchased the hurch with the blood of Jesus,

his dearly belo$ed, the one belonging to (od in an intimate way.

Gore importantly, the $ariants may actually pro$ide support for the original reading being)the church of (od, which he purchased with his own blood.) 'he $ariant readings may ha$e

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arisen due to the difficulty of speaking of the blood of (od, since this may ha$e implied that

it was (od the %ather who died on the cross. 3ence, a scribe may ha$e sought to change the

reading in order to a$oid any misunderstanding. 6oted 6' tetual critic 4ruce G. Get7ger

writes&

'he eternal e$idence is singularly balanced between )church of God ) and )church of the Lord ) "the reading )church of the Lord and God ) is ob$iously conflate, and is therefore

secondary2 as are also other $ariant readings#. 8aleographically, the difference concerns only

a single letter... In deciding between the two readings one must take into account the internal

probabilities.

'he epression e$$leesia $uriou occurs se$en times in the Septuagint but nowhere in the 6ew

'estament. 9n the other hand, e$$leesia tou theou appears with moderate frequency "ele$en

times# in the pistles traditionally ascribed to 8aul, but nowhere else in the 6ew 'estament.

"'he phrase hai e$$leesiai &asai tou Christou occurs once in ;o. >-&>-.# It is possible,

therefore, that a scribe, finding theou in his eemplar, was influenced by 9ld 'estament

passages and altered it to $uriou. 9n the other hand, it is also possible that a scribe,influenced by 8auline usage, changed his eemplar to theou.

In support of the originality of $uriou is the argument "urged by a number of scholars# that

copyists were likely to substitute the more common phrase hee e$$leesia tou theou for the

more rare phrase hee e$$leesia tou $uriou.

9n the other hand, it is undeniable that theou is the more difficult reading. 'he following

clause speaks of the church )which he obtained dia tou haimatos tou idiou.) If this is taken in

its usual sense ")with his blood)#, a copyist might well raise the question, Does (od ha$e

blood/, and thus be led to change theou to $uriou. If, howe$er, $uriou were the original

reading, there is nothing unusual in the phrase to catch the mind of the scribe and throw it off

its balance. 'his and other considerations led the ommittee "as well as a $ariety of scholars#

to regard theou as the original reading.

Instead of the usual meaning of dia tou haimatos tou idiou, it is possible that the writer of

Acts intended his readers to understand the epression to mean )with the blood of his 9wn.)

"It is not necessary to suppose, with 3ort, that huiou may ha$e dropped out after tou idiou,

though 8aleographically such an omission would ha$e been easy.# 'his absolute use of ho

idios is found in (reek papyri as a term of endearment referring to near relati$es. It is

possible, therefore, that )his 9wn) "ho idios# was a title that early hristians ga$e to Jesus,

comparable to )the 4elo$ed) "ho aga&eetos#: compare ;o ?.+*, where 8aul refers to (od)who did not spare tou idiou huiou) in a contet that clearly alludes to (n **&>-, where the

Septuagint has tou aga&eetou huiou.

ithout committing itself concerning what some ha$e thought to be a slight probability that

tou idiou is used here as the equi$alent of tou idiou huiou, the ommittee 5udged that the

reading theou was more likely to ha$e been altered to $uriou than $ice $ersa. "Get7ger, 1

e)tual Commentary on the Gree$ .ew estament *Se(ond :dition+ 1 Com&anion ?olume to

the 6nited 2ible So(ieties0 Gree$ .ew estament Fourth 3evised :dition CDeutsche

4ibelgesellschaft: IS46& +H+?->?, pp. H*B2H*=#

'he 6' 4ible translators state&



>>*tc 'he reading Pof (odQ "tou' qeou', tou qeou# is found in Í 4 ->H >>=B >BB al $g sy:

other witnesses ha$e Pof the LordQ "tou' kurivou, tou kuriou# here "so Ì=H A R D Y ++

>=+< al co#, while the ma5ority of the later minuscule mss conflate these two into Pof the

Lord and (odQ "tou' kurivou kaiV Ctou' qeou', tou kuriou kai Ctou qeou#.

Although the e$idence is e$enly balanced between the first two readings, tou' qeou' is

decidedly superior on internal grounds. 'he final prepositional phrase of this $erse, diaVtou' ai{mato" tou' ijdivou "dia tou {aimato" tou idiou#, could be rendered

Pthrough his own bloodQ or Pthrough the blood of his own.Q In the latter translation, the

ob5ect that PownQ modifies must be supplied "see tn below for discussion#. 4ut this would not

be entirely clear to scribes: those who supposed that ijdivou modified ai{mato" would be

prone to alter P(odQ to PLordQ to a$oid the inference that (od had blood. In a similar way,

later scribes would be prone to conflate the two titles, thereby affirming the deity "with the

construction tou' kurivou kaiV qeou' following the (ran$ille Sharp rule and referring to

a single person Csee :)Syn *=*, *=-2==, *<# and substitutionary atonement of hrist. %or

these reasons, tou' qeou' best eplains the rise of the other readings and should be

considered authentic. "Source#

hristian Apologist, ;obert 4owman Jr., states&

B. Acts *&*?& )the church of (od which 3e purchased with 3is own blood.) 'he $ariant

readings "e.g. )the church of the Lord)# show that the original was understood to mean )3is

own blood,) not )the blood of 3is own CSon) "since otherwise no one would ha$e thought to

change it#. 'hus all other renderings are attempts to e$ade the startling clarity and meaning of

this passage. "Source#

A.'. ;obertson, one of the greatest 6' (reek scholars that e$er li$ed, wrote&

... The church of God "thn ekklhsian tou qeou#. 'he correct tet, not )the church of

the Lord) or )the church of the Lord and (od) ";obertson, #ntrodu(tion to e)tual Criti(ism

of the ., p. >?<#. -e purchased "periepoihsato#. %irst aorist middle of peripoiew,

old $erb to reser$e, to preser$e "for or by oneself, in the middle#. In the 6.'. only in Luke

John >=&++: Acts *&*?: > 'imothy +&>+. 'he substanti$e peripoihsin "preser$ation,

possession# occurs in > 8eter *&< ")a peculiar people) a people for a possession# and in

phesians >&>H. )ith his o5n 'lood "dia tou aimatoß tou idiou#. 'hrough the

agency of "dia# his own blood. hose blood/ If tou qeou "Aleph 4 !ulg.# is correct, as

it is, then Jesus is here called )(od) who shed his own blood for the flock. It will not do to

say that 8aul did not call Jesus (od, for we ha$e ;omans <&B: olossians *&<: 'itus *&>+

where he does that $ery thing, besides olossians >&>B2*: 8hilippians *&B2>>. "Source#

4ut e$en assuming that the translation, )the blood of his own,) is correct this would pro$ide

further e$idence that Shabir is in error since this is another way of affirming that Jesus is

(od1s belo$ed SonM

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