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WisconsinChristianNews.com
Volume 26, Issue 8
Revealing the Truth About Islam A Biblical Refutation of the Claim That Jesus Was ‘Only a Messenger’
By Usama Dakdok January 2026
they do not claim to share God’s actions. Jesus goes further by say- ing that all people must honor the Son just as they honor the Father. God explicitly says in Isaiah that He will not share His glory with an- other. If Jesus were a mere messenger, commanding equal honor with God would be blasphemy. The statement often quoted from Jesus, “I can do nothing by My- self,” is also misunderstood. Jesus is not confessing weakness or lack of power. He is describing perfect unity with the Father. In the
give sins. Jesus does not deny this principle. Instead, He proves His authority by healing the man, showing that He possesses the divine right to forgive. A prophet may announce God’s forgiveness, but Jesus forgives sins in His own name. Jesus also applied God’s divine name to Himself. When God re- vealed Himself to Moses, He identified Himself as “I AM.” Jesus di- rectly uses this name when He says, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” The Jewish audience immediately understands the claim and at-
Recently, I received a text message from a friend containing a video in which a Muslim imam claimed that the Bible does not teach that Jesus is God. In the video, a woman asks the man whether he is Muslim. He responds that he is, adding that he was once a Christian for about sixty years,
tempts to stone Him for blasphemy. They do not react this way because He claims to be a prophet, but because He claims to share God’s eternal identity. The New Testament even records the Father calling the Son “God.” In Hebrews, God the Fa- ther speaks of the Son and says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.” The same chapter commands all God’s angels to worship the Son. Angels do not worship created beings; they worship God alone. Jesus is worshiped be- cause He is the Creator, not part of creation. Scripture repeatedly states that all things were made through Him and that nothing that exists came into being apart from Him. Paul affirms that all things in heaven and on earth were cre- ated through Him and for Him. A created mes- senger cannot be the source of all creation. The argument that Jesus cannot be God be-
while his wife and children remain Christians. He then claims that when one reads the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, it becomes clear that Jesus has a God, refers people to that God, and explicitly denies being that God Himself. To support this claim, the speaker appeals to several biblical passages. He cites John 17:3, where Jesus says, “that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent,” concluding that since the Father sent Jesus, Jesus must be a messenger. He quotes Jesus’ words in John where Jesus says He can do nothing by Himself. He then points to Acts 2:22, where Peter calls Jesus “a man of Nazareth, attested by God” through miracles God performed through Him. Based on these statements, the speaker argues that God is not like His creation and invites Christians to wor- ship the God whom Jesus worshiped, insisting that this is all Mus- lims are asking. At first glance, this argument may sound persuasive because it selectively quotes Scripture. However, it collapses once the full bib- lical witness is considered. The Bible does not teach that Jesus is merely a messenger or prophet. Rather, it teaches that Jesus is God Who willingly became man without ceasing to be God. The pas- sages cited in the video address Jesus’ humanity and His relation- ship with the Father, not a denial of His divine nature. The Gospel of John begins by making an unmistakable declaration about Jesus’ identity. It states that “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” This verse affirms that the Word existed before creation, was distinct from the Father, and yet fully God. John then identifies this Word by saying that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus is not in- troduced as a created being or a prophet who came into existence later. He is presented as the eternal God who entered human his- tory. John further explains that no one has ever seen God, but the only begotten God who is at the Father’s side has made Him known. Jesus does not merely speak about God; He reveals God because He shares God’s nature. Throughout His ministry, Jesus claimed equality with God in ways no prophet ever did. In John 5, after healing a man on the Sabbath, Jesus says that His Father is working until now and that He Himself is working. The Jewish leaders immediately understand the impli- cation. They seek to kill Him because He is calling God His own Fa- ther and making Himself equal with God. Jesus does not deny their conclusion. Instead, He reinforces it by saying that whatever the Fa- ther does, the Son does likewise. Prophets act by God’s permission;
same passage, He says that just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son gives life to whom He wills. Giving life is a divine prerogative, yet Jesus claims the authority to give life ac- cording to His own will. He also says that the Father has entrusted all judgment to the Son, even though Scripture teaches that God alone is the Judge of all the earth. These claims go far beyond the role of a messenger. Another crucial point is that Jesus repeatedly accepted worship, something Scripture reserves for God alone. The Old Testament commands that only the Lord is to be worshiped. Yet the disciples worship Jesus after He calms the storm, a man healed of blindness worships Him, and after the resurrection His disciples worship Him again. Most striking is Thomas’ confession when he addresses Jesus as “My Lord and my God.” Jesus does not correct or rebuke him. In contrast, whenever angels or apostles receive worship in Scripture, they immediately reject it and direct worship to God alone. Jesus’ acceptance of worship confirms His divine identity. The appeal to Acts 2:22 also fails to deny Jesus’ divinity. Peter does call Jesus a man attested by God, but Christianity has always affirmed that Jesus is fully human. Peter is emphasizing Jesus’ hu- manity and historical ministry, not excluding His divinity. In the same sermon, Peter declares that God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ. The title “Lord” is the Greek term used in the Old Testament to translate the divine name Yahweh. Peter later explicitly refers to Jesus as “our God and Savior,” demonstrating that he believed Jesus is divine. Jesus’ authority to forgive sins further confirms His identity. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus tells a paralyzed man that his sins are for- given. The religious leaders rightly respond that only God can for-
cause He prayed misunderstands the incarnation. Scripture teaches that although Jesus existed in the form of God, He humbled Himself and took on the form of a servant. He did not stop being God; He added humanity. As a true man, He prayed, obeyed, and depended on the Father, modeling perfect human obedience. Yet even in this humility, the Bible declares that all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Him bodily. Unlike prophets, who point people away from themselves and to- ward God, Jesus consistently points people to Himself. He invites the weary to come to Him for rest. He declares that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that no one comes to the Father except through Him. He tells His disciples that whoever has seen Him has seen the Father. No prophet ever spoke with such authority or made such claims. Yes, Jesus was sent by the Father. Yes, He prayed. Yes, He was fully human. But the total witness of Scripture overwhelmingly tes- tifies that He is also fully God. The Bible proclaims that God was manifested in the flesh. Jesus is not merely a messenger calling people to worship God; He is God Himself calling people to worship Him, because forgiveness, life, and salvation come only through Him. If Jesus were only a prophet, the Bible would condemn Him as a blasphemer. Instead, it exalts Him as Lord, Creator, Savior, and God Almighty. For information about Islam, visit our website. To debate this article, please call 941-223-3698 . To schedule Usama for speaking, call 941-223-1703 . www.TheStraightWay.org
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