Frequently Asked Questions
It is not possible for God to have a son, in the natural, human, material sense of a father/son relationship. But if we understand the meaning of the Son of God in the Jewish sense, the subject will change completely. The term “Son of God” was very common in the Jewish tradition before Christ. And it means sent by God, which carries the will of God. And not a son in the sense that God Almighty is married and born, God forbid! But the sonship of Christ had a distinct character, for he was the bearer of the essence of God, the splendor of his glory. The Bible says about Christ that: “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” (Heb. 1: 3), “He is the image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation” (Colossians1:15). Christ is the image of God in our world, this is the meaning of the Son of God.
First: The word “Gospel” does not mean a book, but means “Good News.” It tells the life of the Lord Jesus on our earth: His taking on flesh, teachings, miracles, crucifixion, redemption, and resurrection. Each of the four Gospels documents its writer’s testimony of this good news. These are real testimonies by four people which are similar but not identical with no contradictions which present a complete picture of this good news.
Each of the four writers wrote for a specific purpose and people. For example, Matthew wrote to the Jews and spoke of Christ as a future king and the prophecies in the Old Testament that foretold Jesus’ coming.
Mark wrote to the Romans and spoke of Christ as a servant, in order to serve mankind.
Luke the historian wrote to the Greek nations and focused on the human nature of Christ.
As for John, he wrote to the whole world about Christ in his divine nature and that he is the perfect and eternal God.
The four Gospels together add different aspects of this good news and they do not contradict each other, but they complement each other. The four Gospels, from a legal point of view, meet an agreement in them despite the diversity of the writer’s choice of adding or deleting details. This gave credibility of their testimony.The diversity of independent views, along with the presence of agreement in their testimony indicates that the written record of the four gospels are accurate and reliable.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the father, full of grace and truth.”
-John 1
This part of the Holy Injil (New Testament) tells us the eternal Word of God, which in the beginning of creation was “with God,” also “was God.” Everything God created, He created by saying, “Be!” which means He created everything by Himself, by His own Word. God’s Word is not another God; God’s Word is God’s communication of Himself. Can God exist without His Word? Obviously not. Was there ever a time when God’s Word did not exist? Of course not. This is like my speech or communication, which is a distinct entity of my being, but certainly is not a second being separate from me. So God is One, and part of that oneness is His Word, which comes out from Him and communicates Himself to us. In Arabic Jesus is called, “Kalamat Ullah,” the Word of God. He came out from God and came into the world as a human being. God in His sovereignty chose to reveal Himself to us through His Word – His Word, who became one of us and lived among us. In comparing Jesus Christ with the prophet Adam, the Bible tells us, “The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven.” (1 Corinthians 15:47) After 33 years on this earth, when the Lord Jesus the Messiah was about to return back to heaven, he himself indicated he had existed in Almighty God from before creation: “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do, and now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” (John 17:4,5)
It is easy to think that the Bible is something to believe but has no bearing on your life. However, this could not be further from the truth. Here are two things that The Gospels offer that dramatically effects the lives of everyone who accepts their words.
The first thing it offers is forgiveness from sin. It does not matter what you have done in your life, Jesus died so that anyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven (John 3:16). This forgiveness allows anyone to enter into the Kingdom of God after they die, what is more commonly referred to as Heaven. God cannot abide by anything less than perfect. Any allowance of imperfection would be imperfect, thus by His very definition of perfection, everyone around God must also be perfect. Humans are not perfect, any brief look at the world around us is evidence to that point. When humans sinned in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3) all of humanity became cursed to sin, and thus remain imperfect. It is not possible for us to redeem ourselves so we require forgiveness in order to be made right before God. However, God is also perfectly Just, He cannot allow sin to ignored without payment. This is where Jesus’ sacrifice is so crucial. Jesus died so that his blood could pay the price for our sins, He died so that we could be forgiven by God and allowed into God’s kingdom at the end of our lives.
The second thing the Gospels offer to those who believe is change. The Bible teaches how to live in a way that honors God. Romans 6 says that those who believe “…have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” This does not mean that Christians will never sin again, instead it means that those who believe no longer are doomed to Divine punishment from their sins and that they have a way to cut sin out from their mortal lives. We no longer have to be controlled by sin, and we are to live our lives in a way that emulates Christ, because now we have the perfect example to live by.
Romans 3:28 “For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.”
The Bible tells us that salvation and redemption are available to “whoever believes in Him” (John 3:16). All that you need in order to receive salvation from your sins is faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Many churches also emphasis baptism as an public expression of faith.
After believing, we are to share the good news of the Jesus’ death and resurrection with others. The salvation that we have received is not something we should keep to ourselves but instead share so that everyone can be saved and join us in Heaven. Matthew 28:19-20, often called the “Great Commission” was Jesus’ final instructions to his disciples, and his instruction to all who believe in Him. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”