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Surah 23:91
مَا
اتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ مِن وَلَدٍ وَمَا كَانَ
مَعَهُ مِنْ إِلَهٍ إِذًا لَّذَهَبَ
كُلُّ إِلَهٍ بِمَا خَلَقَ وَلَعَلَا
بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ سُبْحَانَ
اللَّهِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ
23:91 (Asad) Never did God take unto Himself any offspring,nor has
there ever been any deity side by side with Him: [for, had there been
any,] lo! each deity would surely have stood apart [from the others]
in whatever it had created,and they would surely have [tried to]
overcome one another! Limitless in His glory is God, [far] above
anything that men may devise by way of definition.1
Deuteronomy 6:4
שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל
יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָֽד׃
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.2
God is one. The Bible clearly teaches the oneness of God. Jews
around the world recite the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4) during morning
and evening prayers, declaring the lordship and oneness of Yahweh.
The Quran states there is one God in Surah 2:163. However, neither
Jews nor Muslims believe God came to man in the flesh to be
sacrificed. They deny the deity of Jesus. The Christ is the center of
Christianity and to deny Him as the messiah is heresy (1 John 4:2).
The difficulty for non-Christians to comprehend the Christ and God
as one is exacerbated by near heretical explanations of the trinity
by mainstream pop “Christianity” and its devotees. The oneness of
God is often misstated. Why such confusion?
The confusion surrounding the trinity comes from a resistance to
accepting the willing submission of Jesus and the God's deference to
him. Contemporary popular Christian theology wants to avoid words
which imply obedience, submission, dependence or anything which
impedes personal freedom (e.g. licentiousness). The biblical theology
of the trinity is wrought with submission and obedience and oneness
of persons. If one does not like obedience and submission, the
biblical trinity is troubling.
The John's account of the good news speaks often of the
relationship of the Father and the Son (Jesus). Note the willingness
of the divine person to obey and submit. Take in the level of respect
and love given by the Father and the Christ.
John 3:35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything
in his hands.
John 5:19 Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the
truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he
sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also
does.
John 5:20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he
does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things
than these.
John 5:21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives
them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give
it.
John 5:22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has
entrusted all judgment to the Son,
John 5:23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the
Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who
sent him.
John 5:26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has
granted the Son to have life in himself.
John 8:28 So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the
Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and
that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has
taught me.
John 10:36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as
his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of
blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's Son'?
John 14:13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that
the Son may bring glory to the Father.
John 17:2 "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son,
that your Son may glorify you. For you granted
Willing Submission
Willing submission defines the divine
Christ's attitude to the will of the Father. Willing submission leads
to unity – not merely uniformity, but unity. If I am to be like
Christ as a Christian, am I willing to be submissive? The Bible
commands obedience many times. Obedience by itself is dangerous and
may lead to legalism or bitterness. Obedience coupled with a willing
spirit is the right combination for spiritual growth and unity. Psalm
51:12, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a
willing spirit, to sustain me.”
To whom should I submit? Ephesians 5:21
says, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
Hebrews 13:17 commands, “Obey your leaders and submit to their
authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account.
Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that
would be of no advantage to you.” Finally in James 4:7 the Bible
mandates, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil,
and he will flee from you.”
A willing spirit is equally important
as submission. In Matthew 23:37 Jesus says,
"O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how
often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen
gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.
As part of a penitent attitude, David
realizes his need for “a willing spirit.” (Psalm 51:12) Even
Jesus and God wanted a willingness in each other, "Father, if
you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be
done." ( Luke 22:42). Submission alone does not require love,
willing submission requires love.
What is it that impedes willing
submission? The answer is in Mark 14:38, “Watch and pray so that
you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the
body is weak." We want to submit but the body does not. Prayer
is the remedy to overcome our natural tendencies and unleash the
willing spirit within.
Conclusion
Our unity with God and others depends
on a willing submission to Him and one another. Our willingness
depends on prayer. Our understanding of God and the Christ's
relationship to one another requires Bible study to refine our
perspective. Jesus' willing submission to the Father is impossible to
grasp if we ourselves are not willing to accept submission as part of
our Christianity. If we are unable to comprehend willing submission
in our life, then we are not Christians. We are unable to see, let
alone imitate, the unity of God. However, through prayer, Bible study
and humility (Philippians 2:1-11) we can reach for and attain unity
with God and one another.
Works Cited
1) IslamiCity.com. “Surah 23:91.”
IslamiCity.com. 6 Jol 2009.
<http://www.islamicity.com/quransearch/default.asp?ref=23%3A91&TB=>
2) Blue Letter Bible. "Deuteronomy 6
- New King James Version." Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2009. 6 Jul
2009. < http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Deu&c=6&t=NKJV
>
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