The Qur’an says ‘No, it was an impostor’ (paraphrase), but even secular historians at the time record it, and the authorities would have recaptured Him if they thought he had gotten out of the crucifixion, unless they were afraid.
Peace be upon you, brother.
Yes, Jesus was actually crucified, as you will find by researching secular authors of the time who recorded it for history. I have been studying Islamic apologist sites and have found that they cry out loudly against the ‘New Testament’, and declare many falsehoods about it to be true. I have heard the same from those of Islam – that the Christians spout lies about Mohammad and the Qur’an. I would suggest that your answer is to be found through intense study and prayer, and not through radical speech from either side.
I have done and am continuing to do research for my own quest, and have firmly come to believe that Jesu is indeed the Messiah for you and me. Do not misunderstand, THERE IS ONE GOD! But God is more complicated that we give Him credit for being. Jesus is God in that He is the expression of the active creator PART of God. The ‘Holy Spirit’ is simply the ‘heart’ of God. But THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD. Our scriptures tell us there are seven spirits of God – this is something I don’t understand, but accept, as HIS WAYS ARE HIGHER THAN OUR WAYS.
Part of the misunderstanding comes in the fact that most people think that Jesus was part God and part man. He was 100% God (spiritually) and 100% man (physically). His lot on earth was trying to deal with both and to be obedient to God the ‘Father’ (thinking/decision making part of God). Jesus role is much like the role of our hand and arm. We control it & tell it what to do. Our mind is in charge: if I tell my hand to go into the fire it will feel pain and resist, but if it is to save my child whom I love from the fire I will make it do my will even though it harms the hand and myself. This is what happened with Jesus, that is why He said “The Father and I are one.”
Jesus fulfilled 333 old Testament prophesies to be Messiah. Satan wants to keep you from being saved from the fire of hell by God’s own hand, and therefore has spread these lies to fool you. I absolutely love the Islamic people and want them to come to perfect knowledge and attain perfect peace. I too used to believe those lies. I thank Jehovah God for rescuing me with His own Hand, and I pray for the same for you, my brother.
Search, think, observe, pray. You will find the truth, and He will make you free.
Addendum: The Old Testament Law tells us that by the testimony of two or more witnesses should a matter be decided. Both old and new testaments give us many witnesses to the authenticity of Jesus as Savior and God. The Quran, however, is the witness of ONE MAN, who was NOT an eyewitness to the events he spoke of. This is one of the overriding reasons I believe the new testament scriptures over the Quran, among others (such as plagiarism).
This is one of the best descriptions I have read of the Trinity. You sound like you have a missionaries heart. Do you believe God has called you to be a missionary?
All true Christians are missionaries. The ‘great commission’ is given to all those who would follow Christ, not just by His Word, but also by the Spirit in our hearts. If we truly love God then we will truly love those He loves and He would have come to Him. Paul showed his faith by his works(his life) in order not to deny Christ, for if we deny Him to those around us by the way we live then we are not His. Many fail to study the Word because their heart is not aggressively seeking the Bridegroom, and therefore buy into the lie of “once saved – always saved”. The scriptures say quite the opposite. Those people tend to think they can live without being missionaries because they have their ‘ticket to heaven’, and that’s all they care about. This is not love, but selfishness. Most also believe love is a feeling – it is not, but instead it is a decision.
While I was in Iraq the Iraqis working with/for me came to me asking about Christianity, not because I was preaching to them, but because of the way I lived. They disagreed, and some wanted an argument, but they got calm understanding instead – and had a different opinion of Christians because of it. Please understand that this was due to God, not me, as most of my demeanor in Iraq previous to this is, frankly, embarrassing for me to recall.
So we are all missionaries, wherever God has placed us, in every situation, in every capacity. Unfortunately sometimes the hardest place to be this is at home where we are known, as it was even for Christ in His home town.
Hi John. I finally have been able to get back online to catch up on things. I was wondering why you say the “lie of once saved always saved”. What is it that you can do that can cause you to loose your salvation?