Having Eyes He’s Still Unable To See Pt. 2

Sam Shamoun

We continue from where we left off by picking up on Williams’ denial that Jesus’ miracles provide supernatural, divine confirmation that he is God in the flesh.

Yahweh Almighty Has Come!

The NT writings, especially Mark, ascribe to the Lord Jesus certain functions and roles which the OT prophets routinely attribute to Yahweh God alone. For instance, Mark records Jesus miraculously silencing the raging winds and seas just by his powerful word, a power which left his followers frightened and baffled:

“On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.’ Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’ Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, ‘Why are you so fearful? HOW IS IT THAT YOU HAVE NO FAITH?’ And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, ‘Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!’” Mark 4:35-41

The Gospel also reports Jesus walking on water:

“Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away. And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray. Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land. Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, ‘Be of good cheer! It is I (ego eimi – I AM); do not be afraid.’ Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. For THEY HAD NOT UNDERSTOOD about the loaves, because THEIR HEART WAS HARDENED.” Mark 6:45-52

These passages raise a few important issues for us to consider.

First, we again see the disciples’ failure to comprehend the signs which they were witnessing with their very own eyes. This provides further confirmation of our exegesis that Jesus deliberately chose to restore the blind man’s sight gradually as a way of illustrating the rather slow and long process it took for the disciples to overcome their spiritual blindness and deafness.

Second, the miracles which Jesus performed and the words he used to reveal himself to the disciples in Mark 6:50 (cf. Matthew 14:27), i.e. “I am; do not be afraid,” are actually ascribed to Yahweh in the Old Testament.

For instance, it is Yahweh alone who treads upon the waves of the seas and silences the winds as a display of his sovereign power and control over creation:

“He removes the mountains, and they do not know When He overturns them in His anger; He shakes the earth out of its place, And its pillars tremble; He commands the sun, and it does not rise; He seals off the stars; He alone spreads out the heavens, And treads on the waves of the sea; He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the chambers of the south; He does great things past finding out, Yes, wonders without number.” Job 9:1-10

“By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us, O God of our salvation, You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth, And of the far-off seas; Who established the mountains by His strength, Being clothed with power; You who still the noise of the seas, The noise of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples. They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs; You make the outgoings of the morning and evening rejoice.” Psalm 65:5-8

"The waters saw You, O God; The waters saw You, they were afraid; The depths also trembled. The clouds poured out water; The skies sent out a sound; Your arrows flashed about. The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; The lightnings lit up the world; The earth trembled and shook. Your way was in the sea, Your path in the great waters, and Your footsteps were not known." Psalm 77:16-19

“O Lord God of hosts, Who is mighty like You, O Lord? Your faithfulness also surrounds You. You rule the raging of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them.” 89:8-9

“Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters, They see the works of the Lord, And His wonders in the deep. For He commands and raises the stormy wind, Which lifts up the waves of the sea. They mount up to the heavens, They go down again to the depths; Their soul melts because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wits’ end. Then they cry out to theLord in their trouble, And He brings them out of their distresses. HE CALMS THE STORM, SO THAT ITS WAVES ARE STILL. Then they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, And praise Him in the company of the elders.” Psalm 107:23-32

And Yahweh is the One who reveals himself as the “I AM” as a way of encouraging his people to not be afraid since he is with them to deliver them from all their calamities:

“But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You areMine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you… Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west… Let all the nations be gathered together, And let the people be assembled. Who among them can declare this, And show us former things? Let them bring out their witnesses, that they may be justified; Or let them hear and say, “It is truth.” You are My witnesses,’ says the Lord, ‘And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understandthat I am He (LXX – ego eimi). Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the Lord, And besides Me there is no savior. I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, And there was no foreign god among you; Therefore youare My witnesses,’ Says the Lord, ‘that I am God. Indeed before the day was, I am He; And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?’” Isaiah 43:1-3, 5, 9-13

It is therefore clear that these signs serve the purpose of revealing Jesus’ identity as Yahweh Incarnate, the divine Son who is essentially coequal with the Father. As noted reformed Christian scholar and pastor John F. MacArthur puts it:  

“… Mark reports that, long with their great amazement, the men were also ‘very much afraid’ (4:41). They were now more afraid of the one who had stilled the storm than they had been of the storm itself. Many of them had encountered dangerous storms, but none had encountered such supernatural power as Jesus here displayed.

“After God had declared His great power and majesty, Job exclaimed, ‘I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees Thee; therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes’ (Job 42:5-6). When Isaiah ‘saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple,’ he declared, ‘Woe is me, for I am ruined! because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts’ (Isa. 6:1, 5). After Daniel beheld the Lord, he testified: ‘No strength was left in me, for my natural color turned to a deathly pallor, and I retained no strength. But I heard the sound of his words, and as soon as I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground’ (Dan. 10:8-9). When Peter saw Jesus miraculously provide the great catch of fish, ‘he fell down at Jesus' feet, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”’ (Luke 5:8). When Paul encountered the risen Christ on the Damascus road, ‘he fell to the ground … And though his eyes were open, he could see nothing’ (Acts 9:4, 8).

“God's majesty is so overwhelming that when He displays Himself in even a small part of His glory men cannot stand in His presence. These disciples suddenly realized that God was standing in the very boat with them, and they were terrified by His power and His holiness. On a similar and later occasion Peter walked on the water. But when the wind came up, he became afraid, and Jesus not only held up His faithless disciple but also caused the wind to stop. ‘And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God's Son!”’ (Matt. 14:29-33)… The same Christ who stilled the Sea of Galilee is the Christ who keeps every atom and every star in its orbit. He keeps the universe in balance and provides for each plant and animal. One day He is coming to restore the world that sin defiled, to make completely new the heavens and the earth. Even now He is the God who gives eternal life to those who trust in Him, and who will calm their every storm and give strength for their every tragedy.” (The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Series: Matthew 8-15 [Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL 1987], pp. 36-38; bold emphasis ours)

Since MacArthur may well be too conservative for Williams’ tastes here is what the translators of the rather liberal Catholic New American Bible say concerning Mark 6:50:

* [6:50] It is I, do not be afraid!: literally, “I am.” This may reflect the divine revelatory formula of Ex 3:14; Is 41:4, 10, 14; 43:1–3, 10, 13. Mark implies the hidden identity of Jesus as Son of God. (Bold emphasis ours)

And this is what they write in regards to Matthew’s version of Jesus silencing the winds and sea:

* [8:26] You of little faith: see note on Mt 6:30. Great calm: Jesus’ calming the sea may be meant to recall the Old Testament theme of God’s control over the chaotic waters (Ps 65:8; 89:10; 93:3–4; 107:29). (Bold emphasis ours)

Another rather highly liberal and critical source, The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, concurs:

“… commanded the sea: Jesus’ ability to control the sea is an implicit statement about his divine power, for God alone can rule the sea (see Ps 74:13-14, 89:10-12). Jesus addresses the sea, not the disciples. be quiet, be still!: A similar formula in 1:25 (where Jesus performs an exorcism) suggests that here Jesus is manifesting his control over the powers of evil. great calm: This feature indicates the completeness and effectiveness of Jesus’ action in controlling the sea… who is this … ?: Since only God could control the wind and sea, the disciples’ question carries an implicit confession of Jesus’ divinity, at least to the extent that he does the works customarily predicated of God in the OT.” (Raymond E. Brown, S.S., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, S. J., Roland E. Murphy, O. Carm. [Prentice Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey], p. 607; bold emphasis ours)   

And:

“… The approach to this story as an epiphany/theophany is most consistent with Mark’s presentation. The twin focus is Jesus and the disciples: (1) The divine identity of Jesus is suggested by his walking on the waters, his passing by them, and his words, ‘it is I.’ (2) The disciples run a gamut of emotions, ending in their astonishment and Mark’s comment about their failure to understand the true identity of Jesus… Mark meant ‘on the water,’ not simply ‘by the shore’; a naturalistic explanation cannot be built on the preposition epi here (see 6:47). The OT portrays walking on water as a divine function (see Job 9:8; 38:16). The representation of Jesus as walking on water thus carries an implicit claim about his divinity. He wanted to pass by them: The implicit christological claim is strengthened by the use of the vb. parelthein, which was linked with the theophany tradition in the LXX (see Exod 33:19, 22; 34:6; 1 Kgs 19:11). Its appearance in the LXX of Amos 7:8; 8:2 also suggests that Jesus desired to help his disciples in their difficulty… I am he: In the context of self-disclosure and theophany, this phrase must allude to the OT revelation formula (Exod 3:14; Deut 32:39; Isa 41:4; 43:10) applied to Yahweh, thus contributing to the implicit christological message of the whole text…” (Ibid., p. 611; bold emphasis ours)

These aren’t the only wonders that Jesus did which point to his divine identity. Other miracles include his healing the lame, the mute, the deaf and, as we have already seen, the blind:

“When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there. And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was. Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well.” Mark 6:53-56

“Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee. Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him. And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, ‘Ephphatha,’ that is, ‘Be opened.’ Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly. Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.’” Mark 7:31-37

Once again, these are the very wonders which the OT says Yahweh will do when he comes to save his people and judge the wicked!

“Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lord his God, Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever, Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; The Lord raises those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; But the way of the wicked He turns upside down. The Lord shall reign forever—Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!” Psalm 146:5-10

“The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, Even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, The excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, The excellency of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, And make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Behold, YOUR GOD WILL COME with vengeance, With the recompense of God; HE WILL COME AND SAVE YOU.’ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert.” Isaiah 35:1-6

We are not through just yet since we have more examples in the third part of our rebuttal.

Source: http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/rebuttals/williams/eyes_unable2.html

IHS

Having Eyes He’s Still Unable To See Pt. 1

Sam Shamoun

As promised in a previous post, I am going to be responding to Muslim taqiyyist Paul Williams’ blatant distortion of Mark’s Gospel in an attempt to once again undermine the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. This time Williams focuses on Christ gradually healing a blind man as reported in Mark 8:22-26 in order to show that Jesus cannot be God in the flesh.

Here is what he says:

“There is an old, olde argument, now largely out of use in Christian circles, that argues Jesus was God because he did amazing miracles.  Surprisingly, the argument has now been resurrected from ignominy by certain Christians who frequent this blog… This is certainly the image of Jesus we see portrayed in Hollywood films and in popular Christian fantasy. But there are passages in the New Testament which portray Jesus in a very different light. As a Christian I recall feeling a twinge of embarrassment when I came across these stories…”

And after quoting the passage from Mark Williams decides to provide his own spin on the text,

“So to recap the story: to effect a miracle Jesus spits in the man’s face and puts his hands on the poor man’s eyes in a manner which would have been familiar to healers in the ancient world. Jesus was not sure if the spit had healed him so he asked the man if he could see anything. On discovering that the cure was only partially successful, Jesus tries again and this time he is successful – no doubt after a fervent prayer to God for the healing miracle to be complete.

“This story, if true (we have no way of verifying its authenticity), portrays Jesus in an utterly different light to Christian claims that his miracles prove he is God. If anything this story demonstrates just the opposite: Jesus is like the charismatic holy men who gradually, falteringly, effect a cure.”

Suffice it to say, Williams’ blatant misreading of the text raises many problems and further highlights the fact that this taqiyyist has no business criticizing God’s Word, the Holy Bible.

In the first place, how does Williams know for certain that it wasn’t Jesus’ intention to heal the blind man gradually? Does he have access to the mind of Christ to tell us with absolute certainty that Jesus intended to heal the blind instantaneously, upon the first touch? Did Williams ever bother to think for a moment that perhaps it was’ Christ’s will for the man to gradually receive his sight in order to use this as an example, an illustration, of something else?

Contrast Williams’ misreading and manhandling of the text with that of the noted Christian reformer and scholar John Calvin:

This miracle, which is omitted by the other two Evangelists, appears to have been related by Mark chiefly on account of this circumstance, that Christ restored sight to the blind man, not in an instant, as he was generally accustomed to do, but in a gradual manner. He did so most probably for the purpose of proving, in the case of this man, that he had full liberty as to his method of proceeding, and was not restricted to a fixed rule, so as not to resort to a variety of methods in exercising his power. On this account, he does not all at once enlighten the eyes of the blind man, and fit them for performing their office, but communicates to them at first a dark and confused perception, and afterwards, by laying on his hands a second time, enables them to see perfectly. And so the grace of Christ, which had formerly been poured out suddenly on others, flowed by drops, as it were, on this man. (Calvin’s Commentary on the Bible; underline emphasis ours)

And compare William’s assault and criticism of the method that the Lord Jesus used to heal the blind man with the attitude of this next commentary:

“This miracle, found only in Mark, raises several interesting questions. First, why did Jesus lead the man out of the town before healing him? Why didn’t He heal by simply touching the man? Why use such unconventional means as saliva? Why didn’t the man receive perfect sight immediately? (This is the ONLY cure in the Gospels which took place in stages.) Finally, why did Jesus forbid the man to tell about the miracle in the town? Our Lord is sovereign and is not obligated to account to us for His actions. There was a valid reason for everything He did, even though we might not perceive it. Every case of healing is different, as is every case of conversion. Some gain remarkable spiritual sight as soon as they are converted. Others see dimly at first, then later enter into full assurance of salvation.” (William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary, ed. Art Farstad [Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc., Nashville, TN 1990], p. 1340; capital and underline emphasis ours)

This brings me to my second point. Williams forgot to mention–either because he hasn’t read the context or chose to butcher it in order assault the majestic and splendor of Christ–that this particular miracle is placed immediately after the Lord Jesus’ severe rebuke of the disciples for their failure to perceive and understand his message: 

“And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side. Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. Then He charged them, saying, ‘Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.’ And they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘It isbecause we have no bread.’ But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, ‘Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? HAVING EYES (ophthalmous), DO YOU NOT SEE (blepete)? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?’ They said to Him, ‘Twelve.’ Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?’ And they said, ‘Seven.’ So He said to them, ‘How is it you do not understand?’ Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw (blepeis) anything. And he looked up and said, ‘I see (blepo) men like trees, walking.’ Then He put His hands on HIS EYES (tous ophthalmous autou) again and made him look up. And he was restored and SAW (eneblepen) everyone clearly. Then He sent him away to his house, saying, ‘Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town.’ Mark 8:13-26

Note the connection between Christ reprimanding the disciples for having eyes and still not being able to see with the slow gradual process of the blind man receiving his sight. It is obvious that the healing of the blind man was meant to illustrate the slow gradual process of the disciples’ perception of Jesus’ teachings.

In fact, this is a theme which is repeated all throughout Mark’s Gospel since the Lord is depicted as having to constantly rebuke the disciples for their lack of understanding:

“And He said to them, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear!’ But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. And He said to them, ‘To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that “Seeing they may see and not perceive, And hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them.”’ And He said to them, ‘Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?’” Mark 4:9-13

“When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable. So He said to them, ‘Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not PERCEIVE that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thuspurifying all foods?’” Mark 7:17-19

“Then one of the crowd answered and said, ‘Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.’ He answered him and said, ‘O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.’ Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. So He asked his father, ‘How long has this been happening to him?’ And he said, ‘From childhood. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.’ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!’ When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: ‘Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!’ Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, ‘He is dead.’ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ So He said to them, ‘This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.’ Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it. For He taught His disciples and said to them, ‘The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.’ But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.” Mark 9:17-32

This next one is quite interesting:

“In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, ‘I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.’ Then His disciples answered Him, ‘How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?’ He asked them, ‘How many loaves do you have?’ And they said, ‘Seven.’ So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude. They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them. So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments. Now those who had eaten were about four thousand. And He sent them away, immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.” Mark 8:1-9

The disciples’ response is rather perplexing when we keep in mind that according to Mark 6:33-44 all of them had witnessed Jesus feeding approximately 5,000 men not counting women and children with five loaves of bread and two fish. They even managed to gather twelve baskets full of bread and fish that had been left over from this miraculously feeding!  

And yet despite all of these signs the disciples were still unable to perceive the message and Person of Jesus. 

It is therefore obvious in light of all of these examples that Jesus deliberately healed the blind man’s sight gradually, instead of instantaneously, as a way of illustrating the gradual spiritual perception of the disciples who at first didn’t understand the things Jesus said and did. 

This explanation is standard fare among the commentaries on Mark, just as the following quotations illustrate:  

“The importance of this story for Mark is that it anticipates the opening of the eyes of the disciples. This is the second in a pair of incidents that only Mark records (the first one is 7:24-37) and that fulfill the OT messianic expectations of Isa 35:5-6. Mark uses both incidents to lead up to the full revelation of Jesus' messianic dignity to the disciples (8:27-30). Their eyes too were opened, not by human perception, but by the miracle of God's gracious revelation – which was as much a miracle as the opening of the blind man's eyes." (Kenneth L. Barker & John R. Kohlenberger III,Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary Volume 2: New Testament [Zondervan Publishing House; Grand Rapids MI, 1994], p. 166; underline emphasis ours)

“The disciples had been blinded to spiritual truths by their constant preoccupation with their own immediate bodily needs. It was only fitting therefore that the next miracle should be the opening of the eyes of the physically blind man of Bethsaida, as a picture of what God would yet do for them. It is also fitting that 8:29, immediately below, should contain the account of the opening of the eyes of Peter to the messiahship of Jesus, and that chapter 9 should contain the story of the transfiguration. Of course, we are specifically told that Jesus healed many blind in the course of His ministry (Lk. 7:21), but this particular miracle is recorded only in Mark, naturally enough, if it occurred in Bethsaida, the home town of Peter (Jn. 1:44), and if Mark, even indirectly, depends on Petrine tradition. No name is recorded: with the exception of Bartimaeus (10:46), such people are usually nameless in the gospels, particularly Mark.” (R. Alan Cole, The Gospel According to Mark (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries), ed. Leon Morris [Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI: Reprinted 1999], p. 199; underline emphasis ours)

“In Mark's account of the healing of the blind man at Bethsaida not only the climax of the story but the entire narrative is constructed on the motif of 'seeing.' In English translations several of the words used for sight are the same, but in the original Greek there are eight different words used for nine instances of seeing in 8:23-25! The redundancy of references to sight and seeing provides a counterbalance to the redundancy of accusations of blindness and misunderstanding in the previous story. Yet another link between this miracle and the previous story occurs in the speech of Jesus to the blind man. At a miracle Jesus normally speaks an authoritative word or makes a pronouncement. Here, however, he asks a question, '"Do you see anything?''’ (v. 23).That unusual question looks like an echo of Jesus' pleading questions of the disciples in the previous story, the first of which was '"Do you still not see?"' (8:17). The blind man's response that he can see people who 'look like trees walking around' (v. 24) is a clue that the disciples themselves will be enabled by Jesus to begin the process of moving from blindness to sight. 

“The healing of the blind man of Bethsaida is the only miracle in the Gospels that proceeds in stages rather than being instantly effected. Matthew and Luke omit the miracle, likely because it suggested that Jesus was unsuccessful on the first attempt. The necessity of repeated touches cannot imply for Mark insufficiency on Jesus' part, however, since elsewhere Jesus performs more difficult miracles (from a human perspective) without fail, such as healing the Gerasene demoniac (5:1-20) or raising a dead girl (5:35-43). The two-stage cure in the present miracle thus suggests a process of revelation – as much for the disciples, we suspect, as for the blind man at Bethsaida. (James R. Edwards, The Gospel According to Mark (The Pillar New Testament Commentary)[Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 2002], pp. 243-244; bold emphasis ours)

"The touch of saliva and Jesus' hands (cf. 7:33) conveyed His intentions and stimulated the blind man's faith. At first the healing was only partial: He looked up (cf. 8:25) and sawpeople (lit., "the men," perhaps the Twelve) moving in a blur like trees walking around.Jesus' unusual question, Do you see anything? indicated that THIS WAS INTENTIONAL ON HIS PART (not a weakness in the man's faith). It was a fitting follow-up TO HIS REBUKING THE DISCIPLES (vv. 17-21). The man was no longer totally blind, but his sight was still poor. How like him were the disciples!

"Then Jesus put His hands on the man's eyes again. He looked intently (fromdiablepo; v. 24 has a form of anablepo); his sight was restored, and he began to see (from emblepo) everything clearly. Now his sight was perfect. This was the outcome the disciples could anticipate despite difficulties in the process." (John D. Grassmick, "Mark," The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck (general editors) [David C Cook Distribution, Ontario, Canada 1983], p. 138; capital and underline emphasis ours)

Even a liberal Bible translation, namely the St. Joseph Edition of the New American Bible, which is a version that Williams’ guru in dawah Shabir Ally highly recommends, states the following:

* [8:22–26] Jesus’ actions and the gradual cure of the blind man probably have the same purpose as in the case of the deaf man (Mk 7:31–37). Some commentators regard the cure as an intended symbol of the gradual enlightenment of the disciples concerning Jesus’ messiahship.

And here is what The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, another liberal favorite of Shabir’s, says concerning this miracle:

“… If any story in Mark HAS A SYMBOLIC FUNCTION, IT IS THE HEALING OF THE BLIND MAN AT BETHSAIDA (8:22-26) (and the healing of Bartimaeus [10:46-52]). On the way, Jesus will impress upon the disciples the necessity of his death and resurrection. Nevertheless, the disciples are slow to understand Jesus. In the case of the blind man of Bethsaida, the coming to sight is gradual and imperfect; he does not follow Jesus. Bartimaeus is healed immediately and follows Jesus on the way. Describing these stories as ‘symbolic’ does not deny their basis in history, nor does it mean that they were intended purely as allegorical statements…” (Ibid., eds. Raymond E. Brown, S.S., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, S. J., Roland E. Murphy, O. Carm. [Prentice Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 1990], p. 614; bold and capital emphasis ours)

That these commentators are correct, and that Jesus’ gradual healing of the blind man’s sight was deliberate, is further confirmed by the following passage:

“Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.’ And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. So Jesus answered and said to him, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ The blind man said to Him, ‘Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your faith has made you well.’ And IMMEDIATELY he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.” Mark 10:46-52

Notice that in the case of Bartimaeus he was healed of his blindness instantaneously, which confirms that there was nothing lacking in the power of Christ to immediately heal the other blind man if he wanted to do so. Yet it is obvious from all of these examples that Jesus didn’t want the blind man to be healed immediately, but slowly in order to illustrate the spiritual blindness of his own followers who, like the blind man, only received their spiritual sight gradually over time.     

Now that we got Williams' deliberate manhandling of Mark 8:22-26 out of the way it is time to move on to the next part of the discussion where I will show that Jesus’ miracles do in fact prove that he is Yahweh God Incarnate

Source: http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/rebuttals/williams/eyes_unable1.html

IHS

A Leading Taqiyyist Proves that Jesus is God! Pt. 3

By Sam Shamoun

Here is my final response where I will now use Williams’ own words to prove that Jesus is his God and Muhammad’s God, as well as the God of all creation.

Notice again what Williams wrote:

“In response: ONLY God is perfect, ONLY God is unable to make mistakes. Human beings by definition are fallible, not perfect. Part of the human condition is that we make ‘mistakes’ (a Biblical term for sin). The Bible teaches that just because we make mistakes it does not mean we cannot be righteous. As Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 7:20:

‘Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.’

“Meaning even righteous people sometimes sin…” (Capital emphasis ours)

Since God alone is perfect and is incapable of committing any mistakes then this means that if the NT teaches that Jesus is absolutely perfect then he must be God. So now let us delve into the biblical witness to see what the inspired Scriptures have to say. Unless stated otherwise, all of the biblical quotations will be taken from the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible.

To begin with, the Holy Bible teaches that Christ is absolutely sinless and therefore morally perfect:

“He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, AND NO UNRIGHTEOUSNESS IS IN HIM.” John 7:18

Jesus’ claim is astonishing when we realize that this is the same language which the Holy Bible ascribes to Yahweh alone:

“He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.” Deuteronomy 32:4

“to shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.” Psalm 92:15

“What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. ” Romans 9:14

Other texts which affirm Jesus’ absolute moral purity include the following:

“Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? ” John 8:46

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, YET WITHOUT SIN.” Hebrews 4:15

“who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life… And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: but this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, WHO IS HOLY, HARMLESS, UNDEFILED, SEPARATE FROM SINNERS, AND MADE HIGHER THAN THE HEAVENS; who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.” Hebrews 9:16, 23-28

“how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself WITHOUT SPOT to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Hebrews 9:14

“forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb WITHOUT BLEMISH AND WITHOUT SPOT:” 1 Peter 1:18-19

“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: WHO DID NO SIN, NEITHER WAS GUILE FOUND IN HIS MOUTH: who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.” 1 Peter 2:21-25

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, EVEN AS HE IS PURE… And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; AND IN HIM IS NO SIN… Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, EVEN AS HE IS RIGHTEOUS. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:2-3, 5, 7-8

Second, Jesus is said to be the Holy and Righteous/Just One:

“And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.” Mark 1:23-24

“But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed THE AUTHOR OF LIFE, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.” Acts 3:14-15 English Standard Version (ESV)

“Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:” Acts 7:52

“And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.” Acts 22:14

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. ” 1 John 2:1-2

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith HE THAT IS HOLY, HE THAT IS TRUE, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; ” Revelation 3:7

These are titles which even Islam says are names and characteristics which belong to Allah:

The Divine Names Related to Perfection

As-Subbûh, Al-Quddûs: The All-Perfect, Utterly Pure

Subbuh is from Subhan, which is glorification and tanzih, disconnecting and elevating Him above any others. He is All-Perfect, All-Pure, All Glorious, far removed from everything evil and imperfect.

Quddus means pure (tahir, munazzah), pure and free of any imperfection. He is far removed from every imperfection or impurity or from anything that would detract from His glory, and disconnected from every description perceived by the senses and thought, All-Holy, All-Pure, All-Perfect.

Some say Subbuh denies imperfection and Quddus affirms perfection.

Al-Quddus is one of the Ninety-Nine Names…

The Divine Names Related to Justice

Al’Adl, Al-’Âdil: The Just

The Just and Equitable. He whom desire does not cause to incline or decline so that He should deviate from the right course in judgement.

Al-’Adl is one of the Ninety-Nine Names. (Aisha Bewley, Divine Names)

And:

5. Al-Quddus


The Most Holy…

30. Al-’Adl


The Utterly Just (Gibril F. Haddad, Allah’s Names and Attributes)

The Quran itself labels Allah as “the Holy One” in two places:

He is Allah, than Whom there is no other Allah, the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One, Peace, the Keeper of Faith, the Guardian, the Majestic, the Compeller, the Superb. Glorified be Allah from all that they ascribe as partner (unto Him). S. 59:23 Pickthall

All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth glorifieth Allah, the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One, the Mighty, the Wise. S. 62:1 Pickthall

Third, Jesus plainly says that he is only able to do whatever the Father does, and can do everything that the Father does:

“Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, THE SON CAN DO NOTHING OF HIMSELF, BUT WHAT HE SEETH THE FATHER DO: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. ” John 5:19-21

He says basically the same thing about the Holy Spirit:

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: FOR HE SHALL NOT SPEAK OF HIMSELF; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. ” John 16:13

Therefore, since the Father cannot sin and can never be mistaken this means that neither Jesus nor the Holy Spirit can ever sin or be mistaken either.

This is why Jesus can say that he always does what is pleasing to the Father, something that no human being can ever say, especially Muhammad:

“And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; FOR I DO ALWAYS THOSE THINGS THAT PLEASE HIM.” John 8:29

Even the Father himself bears witness that Jesus is his beloved Son with whom he is well pleased:

“And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: and there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED.” Mark 1:9-11

In light of the foregoing Williams is now left with no choice but to admit that according to the NT writings Jesus must be God in the flesh (though not the Father or the Holy Spirit) since this is the necessary conclusion of his own statements. Note how this works out logically:

A. Only God doesn’t sin and is unable to make a mistake.

B. Jesus never sinned or made a mistake according to the very same Holy Bible that Williams appealed to in order to make his point.


C. Therefore, Jesus is God who became a flesh and blood human being for our redemption.

There is simply no way around this for Williams.

We therefore want to personally thank Williams for helping us prove that Jesus is the God of all flesh, including Muhammad.

Related Articles

• Jesus and Paul On Salvation
• The Bible and Vicarious Atonement: A Response to A Desperate Muslim Dawagandist
• Jesus as the Holy and Righteous One
• The Lord Jesus Christ – the Holy, Pure Son of God
• More Proof That Jesus Is Absolutely Good and Holy
• Even More Proof That Jesus Is Absolutely Good And Therefore Absolutely Divine!
• Was Muhammad certain of his Salvation? 

Source: http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/rebuttals/williams/proves_jesus_god3.html

IHS

 

A Leading Taqiyyist Proves that Jesus is God! Pt. 2

By Sam Shamoun

As promised, here is my reply where I will now use Williams’ own words to prove that Jesus is God.

In his recent tirade against the Holy Bible, Williams writes the following:

“In response: ONLY God is perfect, ONLY God is unable to make mistakes. Human beings by definition are fallible, not perfect. Part of the human condition is that we make ‘mistakes’ (a Biblical term for sin). The Bible teaches that just because we make mistakes it does not mean we cannot be righteous. As Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 7:20:

‘Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.’

“Meaning even righteous people sometimes sin…” (Capital emphasis ours)

Note what he says carefully: Only God is perfect and is unable to make mistakes. Now before I show how this proves that Jesus is God Almighty, I want to first take a moment to show that Williams’ false prophet was an imperfect, fallible sinner who was often reprimanded by his god, who even went as far as to threaten to kill and damn Muhammad to hell if he ever failed or compromised his mission. The following verses are all taken from the Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall’s version of the Quran:

And seek forgiveness of Allah. Lo! Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful. And plead not on behalf of (people) who deceive themselves. Lo! Allah loveth not one who is treacherous and sinful. S. 4:106-107

Allah forgive thee (O Muhammad)! Wherefor didst thou grant them leave ere those who told the truth were manifest to thee and thou didst know the liars? S. 9:43

And when Our clear revelations are recited unto them, they who look not for the meeting with Us say: Bring a Lecture other than this, or change it. Say (O Muhammad): It is not for me to change it of my accord. I only follow that which is inspired in me. Lo! if I disobey my Lord I FEAR THE RETRIBUTION OF AN AWFUL DAY. S. 10:15

And they indeed strove hard to beguile thee (Muhammad) away from that wherewith We have inspired thee, that thou shouldst invent other than it against Us; and then would they have accepted thee as a friend. And if We had not made thee wholly firm thou mightest almost have inclined unto them a little. THEN HAD WE MADE THEE TASTE A DOUBLE (PUNISHMENT) OF LIVING AND A DOUBLE (PUNISHMENT) OF DYING, THEN HADST THOU FOUND NO HELPER AGAINST US. S. 17:73-75

Or thou have a house of gold; or thou ascend up into heaven, and even then we will put no faith in thine ascension till thou bring down for us a book that we can read. Say (O Muhammad): My Lord be Glorified! Am I aught save A MORTAL MESSENGER? S. 17:93

Say: I AM ONLY A MORTAL LIKE YOU. My Lord inspireth in me that your God is only One God. And whoever hopeth for the meeting with his Lord, let him do righteous work, and make none sharer of the worship due unto his Lord. S. 18:110

O Prophet! Keep thy duty to Allah and obey not the disbelievers and the hypocrites. Lo! Allah is Knower, Wise. S. 33:1

And verily it hath been revealed unto thee as unto those before thee (saying): If thou ascribe a partner to Allah thy work will fail and thou indeed wilt be among the losers. S. 39:65

Then have patience (O Muhammad). Lo! the promise of Allah is true. And ask forgiveness of thy sin, and hymn the praise of thy Lord at fall of night and in the early hours. S. 40:55

Say (unto them O Muhammad): I AM ONLY A MORTAL LIKE YOU. It is inspired in me that your God is One God, therefor take the straight path unto Him and seek forgiveness of Him. And woe unto the idolaters, S. 41:6

So know (O Muhammad) that there is no God save Allah, and ask forgiveness for thy sin and for believing men and believing women. Allah knoweth (both) your place of turmoil and your place of rest. S. 47:19

Lo! We have given thee (O Muhammad) a signal victory, That Allah may forgive thee of thy sin that which is past and that which is to come, and may perfect His favour unto thee, and may guide thee on a right path, S. 48:1-2

And if he had invented false sayings concerning Us, We assuredly had taken him by the right hand AND THEN SEVERED HIS LIFE-ARTERY, AND NOT ONE OF YOU COULD HAVE HELD US OFF FROM HIM. And lo! it is a warrant unto those who ward off (evil). S. 69:44-48

Then hymn the praises of thy Lord, and seek forgiveness of Him. Lo! He is ever ready to show mercy. S. 110:3

This explains why Muhammad had doubts concerning his ultimate destiny and why he couldn’t give assurance to anyone else:

Say: FOR MYSELF I HAVE NO POWER TO BENEFIT, NOR POWER TO HURT, save that which Allah willeth. Had I knowledge of the Unseen, I should have abundance of wealth, and adversity would not touch me. I am but a warner, and a bearer of good tidings unto folk who believe. S. 7:188

Say: I am no new thing among the messengers (of Allah), NOR KNOW I WHAT WILL BE DONE WITH ME OR WITH YOU. I do but follow that which is inspired in me, and I am but a plain warner. S. 46:9

Say (unto them, O Muhammad): I pray unto Allah only, and ascribe unto Him no partner. Say: Lo! I CONTROL NOT HURT NOR BENEFIT FOR YOU. Say: Lo! NONE CAN PROTECT ME FROM ALLAH, nor can I find any refuge beside Him (Mine is) but conveyance (of the Truth) from Allah, and His messages; and whoso disobeyeth Allah and His messenger, lo! his is fire of hell, wherein such dwell for ever. Till (the day) when they shall behold that which they are promised (they may doubt); but then they will know (for certain) who is weaker in allies and less in multitude. Say (O Muhammad, unto the disbelievers): I KNOW NOT WHETHER THAT WHICH YE ARE PROMISED IS NIGH, or if my Lord hath set a distant term for it. S. 72:20-25

Further notice what the following hadiths say:

Narrated ‘Um al-’Ala:

An Ansari woman who gave the pledge of allegiance to the Prophet that the Ansar drew lots concerning the dwelling of the Emigrants. ‘Uthman bin Maz’un was decided to dwell with them (i.e. Um al-’Ala’s family), ‘Uthman fell ill and I nursed him till he died, and we covered him with his clothes. Then the Prophet came to us and I (addressing the dead body) said, “O Abu As-Sa’ib, may Allah’s Mercy be on you! I bear witness that Allah has honored you.” On that the Prophet said, “How do you know that Allah has honored him?” I replied, “I do not know. May my father and my mother be sacrificed for you, O Allah’s Apostle! But who else is worthy of it (if not ‘Uthman)?” He said, “As to him, by Allah, death has overtaken him, and I hope the best for him. By Allah, though I am the Apostle of Allah, YET I DO NOT KNOW WHAT ALLAH WILL DO TO ME,” By Allah, I will never assert the piety of anyone after him. That made me sad, and when I slept I saw in a dream a flowing stream for ‘Uthman bin Maz’un. I went to Allah’s Apostle and told him of it. He remarked, “That symbolizes his (good) deeds.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 58, Number 266)

And:

Narrated Abu Huraira:  

When Allah revealed the Verse: “Warn your nearest kinsmen,” Allah’s Apostle got up and said, “O people of Quraish (or said similar words)! Buy (i.e. save) yourselves (from the Hellfire) AS I CANNOT SAVE YOU FROM ALLAH’S PUNISHMENT; O Bani Abd Manaf! I CANNOT SAVE YOU FROM ALLAH’S PUNISHMENT, O Safiya, the Aunt of Allah’s Apostle! I CANNOT SAVE YOU FROM ALLAH’S PUNISHMENT; O Fatima bint Muhammad [Muhammad's own daughter]! Ask me anything from my wealth, BUT I CANNOT SAVE YOU FROM ALLAH’S PUNISHMENT.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 51, Number 16)

These texts depict Allah as a schizophrenic god who at times reassures Muhammad that his sins are forgiven but then at other times threatens to kill him and damn him to hell if he fails to carry out his mission.

Can any Christian even imagine God speaking this way to the beloved Apostles, or the Father ever threatening his glorious Son in this manner? Moreover, doesn’t this stand in stark contrast to the perfect confidence and assurance which the Lord Jesus and his blessed disciples spoke with when discussing salvation and eternal life?

“‘Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.’ Then they said to Him, ‘What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.’… And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me,and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; AND I WILL RAISE HIM UP AT THE LAST DAY… Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.’” John 6:27-29, 35-40, 47 New King James Version (NKJV)

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear THE VOICE OF THE SON OF GOD; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear HIS [the Son’s] VOICE and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” John 5:24-29 NKJV

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.” John 10:27-30 NKJV

“Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to Him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.’” John 11:23-27 NKJV

“‘Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.’ Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.’” John 14:1-7 NKJV

“To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.” Acts 10:43

“And he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ So they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.’” Acts 16:30-31

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ… But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” Romans 5:1, 8-11 NKJV

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:1-4 NKJV

“For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10

“For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.” 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.” 2 Timothy 1:8-12

“I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake. I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one.” 1 John 2:12-14

“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him… For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?... If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God… We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.” 1 John 5:1, 4-5, 9-13, 18 NKJV

To think that Williams would have the audacity to try and get Christians to abandon all of this for a false prophet who lived in fear and doubt concerning his own destiny!

Now that we have gotten that out of the way and proven that Muhammad was an imperfect transgressor who lived under the constant threat and fear of his god, we can proceed to the next section where I will use Williams' own words to prove that Jesus is his Lord and God, as well as ours.

Source: http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/rebuttals/williams/proves_jesus_god2.html

IHS

A Leading Taqiyyist Proves that Jesus is God! Pt. 1

By Sam Shamoun

Muslim taqiyyist Paul Bilal Williams came out with a blog post where he appeals to Jewish anti-missionary Rabbi Michael Skobac to prove that the blessed Apostle Paul’s assertion that man is incapable of carrying out the Law given through Moses contradicts Deuteronomy 30 which says that man can do so and live.

It is rather unfortunate that Williams could care less about being honest or consistent since he is constantly appealing to authors and scholars whose views and presuppositions actually undermine Islam and end up proving that Muhammad was a false prophet (which he actually was). This Bible-hating Christophobe therefore leaves me no choice but to respond to his assault and blasphemies in order to show him what happens when we use his own scholars and sources against his own prophet and god.

In the first place, it is true that if the Israelites were to obey the Law they would live in God’s sight. However, AS THE VERY NEXT CHAPTER ITSELF TESTIFIES, God clearly tells the Israelites that they will not be able to do the Law and therefore will come under God’s wrath and be exiled from the land, not once but twice! See Deuteronomy 31:14-29, and compare that with Joshua 24:14-28. This is why God told Moses to record the “Song of Moses” in Deuteronomy 32, as a witness against them when God’s prediction that Israel will be scattered due to their sin and rebellion comes to pass.

Secondly, all throughout the Holy Bible, God is constantly reprimanding Israel for their persistent rebellion and wickedness, even raising nations to punish them because of it. Simply read the book of Judges for proof of this. And if a person is still not convinced then simply have them read through the major prophets, specifically Isaiah 1:9-17, and Jeremiah chapters 7, 14-15, just to name a few.

This brings me to my next point. God himself demanded perfect obedience to his prescribed will, including the Law of Moses, just as the following verses confirm: Genesis 17:1; Deuteronomy 18:13; Psalm 15:1-5; 24:3-5; 101:2 119:1; Isaiah 33:14-16; Matthew 5:48. Yet, just as the entirety of the Old Testament canon plainly testifies, Israel consistently failed to live in perfect conformity to God’s Law because of their stiff-necked and unregenerate hearts, resulting in their punishment and banishment from the land. This is why God promised to circumcise their hearts and minds, giving them his Holy Spirit who would empower them to carry out his commands and sin no more (cf. Genesis 6:5-7; 8:20-21; 1 Kings 8:46; Job 4:17-19; 14:1-5; 15:14-16; 25:4-6; Psalm 51:5; 58:3; 130:3; 143:2; Proverbs 20:9; Ecclesiastes 7:20, 29; 9:3; Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6; Isaiah 64:6-7; Jeremiah 4:4; 9:25-26; 6:10; 13:23 17:9; 24:7; 31:31-34; 32:39-40; Ezekiel 11:19-20; 18:30-32; 36:25-27; Hosea 11:1-9).

This sure sounds like Paul’s preaching!

Now that we have gotten Williams’ distortion of biblical truth out of the way I am going to show how in his haste to condemn the Apostle Paul, the blessed servant of the risen Christ, whose sandal straps Muhammad wasn’t worthy to stoop down and untie, Williams made an argument which ends up proving that Jesus is God!

Source: http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/rebuttals/williams/proves_jesus_god1.html

IHS