DID

GOD

APPEAR

IN THE FLESH?

ISKANDER JADEED

THE GOOD WAY - RIKON - SWITZERLAND

THE THINGS

WHICH ARE IMPOSSIBLE WITH MEN

ARE POSSIBLE

WITH GOD

(Luke 18:27)

All Rights Reserved

Order Number: RBP 4115 ENG

First edition: 1974, Revised edition: 1998

English title: Did God Appear in the Flesh?

All Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version, or the

New International Version of the Holy Bible

All Qur'an quotations are taken from The Koran Interpreted,

by Arthur J. Arberry

The Good Way P.O. Box 66«CH-8486 Rikon • Switzerland

Internet: http://www.the-good-way.com * E-mail: info@the-good-way.com

Chapter I

QUESTION:

"What do you mean, when you say that Jesus is

God appearing in the flesh? If this is what you

believe, why was the Incarnation necessary?"

F.K.

Tripoli,

Lebanon

1. The first fact we have to contend with is

that the human soul cannot, on its own, attain

the state of perfection it desires because the law

of sin acts as the stumbling block in its way.

The apostle Paul reveals this truth to us when

he says, "For I have the desire to do what is good,

but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the

good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do

— this I keep on doing! Now if I do what I want to

do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in

me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I

want to do good, evil is right there with me. For

in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see

another law at work in the members of my body,

waging war against the law of my mind and making

me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my

members" (Romans 7:18—23).

2. The apostle's words here illustrate the con-

flict in the soul of man between grace and cor-

ruption, between the law of God in which man

delights and to which he wants to conform, and

the law of sin which appeals to man, captivates

and impels him to do that which he does not

want to do. The apostle, however, anxious to

liberate himself from the law of sin and death,

raised his famous cry to heaven: "What a wretch-

ed man I am! Who will rescue me from this body

of death?" (Romans 7:24). When he caught a

glimpse of the Deliverer in the person of the

incarnate Word he rejoiced saying: "Thanks be

to God — through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Ro-

mans 7:25).

This secret had already been revealed to that

man of God, Job, when he was continually

overwhelmed by catastrophies and sufferings.

From the depths of his great need for a mediator

between him and God, he expressed his com-

plaint thus: "There is no umpire between us, who

might lay his hand upon us both. Let him take his

rod away from me, and let not dread of him

terrify me. Then I would speak without fear of

him, for I am not so in myself (Job 9:33—35).

Hence, the second basic element of God (or person

within the Godhead, Arabic: UQNUM) took hu-

man flesh. He met man's desperate need for re-

demption to restore him and to reconcile him with

his God.

3. Every one knows from personal experience

that corrupt tendencies dwell in him to which he

regrettably succumbs. We recall the apostolic say-

ing: "For all have sinned and come short of the

glory of God" (Romans 3:23), and "If we say that

we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth

is not in us" (I John 1:8). Islam carries an admis-

sion of this truth, as in the Koranic saying: "If

Allah were to take mankind to task for their wrong

doing, he would not leave thereon a living

creature" (Sura 16 "The Bee": verse 61). It is there-

fore, evident to us not only historically, but also

intellectually that natural man cannot reach the

peak of this spiritual potential until he is united

with and lead by that which is superior to him, and

more than man himself.

4. Thus we have restricted our study to a clari-

fication of the shortcomings of man and his failure

to rise to the status which Adam enjoyed before the

fall. To stop here would be tantamount to defeat.

We cannot imagine that such frustration serves the

aim of an Almighty God." On the contrary, the

Lord God is good and His mercies are everlasting.

In His goodness God would not leave man, whom

He created in His own image, in such a predica-

ment thus leading him to perish. Since man failed

to serve God's purpose, God will surely have pre-

ordained for him another being to make him

whole. Who is that being? Is he a creature who has

attained perfect holiness? Or is he God himself?

5. Let us strive to hold on to sure ground and

not be distracted by our own theories, though

based on principles rooted in certain religions. This

is because acquiescence in such views would un-

doubtedly lead to a departure from the truth. Let

us also remember one fact, and that is, that no

religion denies that man has a bend towards direct

communion with God. It is to God that people

pray, from Him they seek help and guidance. He

indeed helps and guides the feet of those who be-

lieve in Him in the paths of peace; moreover, we all

realise that the aim behind symbols, which are

sometimes termed mysteries, is a complete inter-

locking of the soul with God. God's man

Augustine, the scholar, said in his prayer: "O Lord!

You have created us for yourself and our souls are

restless until they find rest in you."

There is, therefore, no reason to think that there

exists between God and man a created mediator,

even though endowed with superhuman nature. In

fact, proofs to the contrary are abundant. If crea-

tion were to attain that perfection which God

intended for it and if man is to be redeemed, it

becomes imperative that this be accomplished

through the very work of God, to whom be praise

and glory for ever.

For the purpose of achieving this end, it is preor-

dained that the Deity consists of three basic ele-

ments or persons (Arabic: AQANIM), so that the

incarnation may be fulfilled through the choice of

7

one thereof, and none other. This was the divine

pleasure: that the Lord should redeem our race

fallen in sin and without hope or help other than

God incarnate, because He alone is mighty enough

for what salvation involves. The pre-requisites of

incarnation in God's sight is to take on human

flesh through one of the basic elements of the Deity

or persons in the Godhead (Arabic: UQNUM).

I am by no means trying here to answer the

question: "Was God not able to save fallen human-

ity without incarnation?" But I do affirm, in the

light of the word of God, that the incarnation is an

appropriate and suitable course; it is indeed very

adequate and unique in wisdom for fulfilling the

required purpose. The fact that the incarnation

took place makes it more likely that it was essential

to fulfil the purpose of God perfectly in the work of

redemption; and that the state of fallen humanity

demands and needs it.

6. One fact I am obliged to mention, and that is,

that God to whom be glory, being desirous of bring-

ing creation to the peak of elevation, by somehow

joining it to Himself, would, therefore, do so not by

a mere outward divine command, "Be and it shall

be," but by indwelling the highest levels of His

8

creation or, in other words, by appearing Himself

in the form of a perfect man.

7. When we consider the teaching on redemp-

tion as contained in Holy Scripture, we observe

that the mediator between God and human beings

must bear the following characteristics:

1. He must be human. The apostle explains

that the reason why the second basic element of

God or Person in the Godhead (Arabic: UQNUM)

took the form of humans rather than angels is, that

He came to redeem us. It was necessary that He

should be born under the law which we have

broken in order to complete all righteousness, that

He should suffer and die as a sacrifice to pay the

ransom of our sins, that He should partake of our

human life to feel our weakness (Hebrews 2:14).

2. He must be without sin. The sacrifice which

used to be offered on the altar had to be without

blemish as required by the law. In other words, it is

impossible for the saviour from sin to be himself a

sinner, otherwise he would not have access to God;

neither can he be a source of holiness and eternal

life to his people, since he himself is not righteous

and holy. It was, therefore, imperative that our

Chief Priest should be holy, harmless, undefiled

and separated from sin (Hebrews 7:26).

(c) He must be God, because nothing can put

away sin except the blood of Him who is greater

than a mere creature. Christ, therefore, being God,

by offering himself as a sacrifice once and for all,

has perfected forever them that are sanctified

(Hebrews 7:27 and 10:14). Likewise, no one but a

divine being can destroy Satan's power and save

those whom Satan held captive. No one can ac-

complish the great task of redemption, but He who

is Almighty, All Wise and All Knowing, in order to

be the Chief Priest of His church and the Judge of

all. No one can be the source of spiritual life for the

redeemed except one in whom all the fullness of the

Deity dwells in the flesh.

8. All these attributes, which Holy Scripture

stipulates as essential to qualify the mediator for

the act of mediation between God and mankind,

are united in Christ in accordance with the task

which He came to accomplish.

It transpires from postulating these characteris-

tics in Christ that His mediation, which includes all

that He did and continues to do for the salvation of

humanity, is the work of a divine being. All the

10

works and sufferings of Christ in the performance

of His mediation have been the works and suf-

ferings of a divine being. The One who has been

crucified is the Lord of Glory; the one who poured

Himself to death is the second basic element of God

or the second person in the Godhead (Arabic:

UQNUM).

The Historic Proof

9. A glance at history shows us that there dwelt

on the face of this earth a man whose life has been a

clear demonstration of both elements of which the

perfect good of humanity consists; these two ele-

ments are a permanent relationship to God and an

unparalleled love for His fellow men. He went

about preaching the good news, doing good and

healing those afflicted by the devil. He revealed to

mankind a new concept of God, saying that God

has a concern for every person individually, as a

father is concerned for his own children; and that

God accepts every repentant sinner as warmly as a

father would welcome a straying son returning to

his bosom.

10 and 11. In addition to His teachings of love,

11

and the works of mercy He performed, He called a

group of disciples to be with Him, to learn the

words He uttered and the power of His example.

Day by day these disciples grew in their knowledge

of Him and deepened their insight into His way of

thinking and the understanding of the inner mean-

ing of His parables. They drew upon the riches of

His Spirit, learnt from His confidence and shared

in His communion with God. Nevertheless, the evil

world shook with fear of Him. Those who closed

their eyes to the truth and relied on their own

righteousness, rebelled against Him and dragged

Him to trial accusing Him of blasphemy and

breaking the law. They were able to have the death

sentence passed against Him. But how did He re-

act? He refused to defend himself, knowing full

well it was in His power merely to say a word and

have a dozen armies of angels rally around to

exterminate His enemies. He chose not to fall back

on any means of deliverance available to Him. In

order to proclaim the meaning of love, God's love,

He gave Himself up to the uttermost. In order that

the enormity and extreme hideousness of sin in

God's sight may be impressed in people's minds,

He allowed sin to inflict punishment on that perfect

12

human body of His, the flower of humanity itself,

without blemish. In order to conquer evil, He with-

stood its assaults and onslaughts unto death, shar-

ing thereby with mankind all struggles, and paving

the way for His eventual victory. Thus He was

victorious.

12. On the third day He arose. He has earlier

said: "... that I lay down my life — only to take it

up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down

of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down

and authority to take it up again" (John 10:17,

18). That was precisely what He did. He finished

the work and the divine revelation was complete.

Love was shed to its utmost, and the power of evil,

mighty as it is, was fought and defeated. Victory of

good over evil was won.

13. What about the outcome? The effect has

been noticeable in His disciples, who gained an

intimate knowledge of Him with a conviction that

grew out of their association with Him. It blos-

somed when He appeared to them after His resur-

rection. To them, He was not merely a man or a

being of a higher species than man. They saw in

Him the attributes of God Himself. He claimed

things which would be a blasphemy for anyone

13

else, other than God, to claim. Every claim He

made had been proved in earnest, including the

fact that He was worthy of their worship and was

indeed God living the life of man and, at the same

time, reigning over the universe from His throne in

heaven.

14. This was not the experience only of those

disciples of the Lord Jesus who had direct contact

with Him, but spread speedily to many others, as

the disciples passed on the good news upheld by

the might of His Spirit, whom He sent in His

place.

The conviction that Jesus of Nazareth was both

God and man did not disappear with the death of

those who had known Him in the flesh. Why? Be-

cause it was based not on a religious error or

dogma but on personal experience felt by Chris-

tians throughout the ages, and on the strong con-

viction that Jesus is still alive and maintains a

personal relationship with all those who seek Him.

This relationship does not stand as an obstacle

between them and God, but is in reality a com-

munion with God Himself.

15. This Divine Person (Arabic: UQNUM),

14

Jesus Christ, is not an inanimate and imperfect

being, but now fills the whole universe; He is here,

there and everywhere. He touches man and says:

"Follow me!" If struck by awe, man rejoins:

"Lord! Your service is hard and burdensome I can-

not bear it and am unable to follow in your

footstep, leave me alone Lord, for I am a sinner."

Jesus answers: "Give me your life, entrust it to me,

have faith and believe in me for my grace is

sufficient for you." Man may respond to His call

and become a disciple. Christ is still along the road

calling out: "Come to me, all you who are weary

and burdened, and I will give you rest... Look

unto me you ends of the earth and be saved." Many

hear His call and come to Him attracted by the

grace of His divine personality. He is popular

today in black Africa, where masses of people join

His ranks and find deliverance from the power of

evil spirits and the grip of sorcerers and magicians.

In every nation, tribe and class there are people

who have been transformed by Jesus. They live a

different life. They used to live in sin, lust und

pride. Now they live worthy of His gospel, in

righteousness and holiness of truth. If you ask

them about the root cause of such a transforma-

15

tion, they would reply: "All this is by virtue of the

knowledge of Jesus our Lord."

We can therefore say with full confidence that

the life of Jesus of Nazareth has crowned the work

of God in creation and lifted it to the acme of

sublimity and perfection. In Him this work reached

full perfection; in Him life and spirit attained the

purpose of God; further, in Him, all who accept

Him in love are established and filled to the fullness

of God. In other words, the soul that believes in

Him has reached the supreme goal of its existence,

namely, union with God Himself and the uplifting

of creation to God its Creator.

16. This is the verdict and conclusion of history.

Yet with regard to Jesus Christ the meaning of

"perfect man" is not merely of the divine essence of

the universe, the reflection of the divine essence

and the link between God and His creation. Rather,

He is the perfect man because He is at the same

time perfect God, "for in Christ all the fullness of

the Deity lives in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9).

He is not only the mirroring of the divine substance

shining brightly through a human life, but "is the

radiance of God's glory and the exact representa-

tion of His being, sustaining all things by His power-

16

ful word (Hebrews 1:3). He is the Word who

was in the beginning with God, and the Word who

was God... through Him all things were made;

without Him nothing was made that has been

made (John 1:1—3). He is therefore worthy to

receive all power, dominion, wisdom, might, hon-

our, glory and praise, Amen!

GREAT

IS THE MYSTERY OF GODLINESS

GOD WAS MANIFEST

IN THE FLESH

(I TIMOTHY 3:16)

17

Chapter II

QUESTION:

"It is well known that God is not in need of the world

or those who dwell in it, that every relationship He

has with His creatures restricts Him, the Most High

as He is, to the bounds of time and place and

consequently attributes passivity to Him, which

would be blasphemy. Does not the Incarnation in

which Christianity believes mean a translocation of a

portion of God to the body of Christ?"

A.S.

Beirut,

Lebanon

17. Dear inquirer, if you stop to think you will

find that Islam, which you hold, puts God in the

realm of relationship with His creatures and within

19

the scope of time and place. You believe that God

sent a messenger to men. This means, God estab-

lished a relationship with His creatures. The Koran

says: "Lo! We have sent unto you a messenger as

witness against you, even as We sent unto Pharaoh

a messenger. But Pharaoh rebelled against the

messenger, whereupon We seized him with no

gentle grip" (Sura 73 "The Enshrouded One":

verses 15, 16). Moreover, the Koran exhorts man

to establish relationship with God, his creator, and

states that God loves this, as illustrated in Sura 13

"The Family of Imran," verse 159, which says:

"And when you are resolved, then put your trust in

Allah. Lo! Allah loves those who put their trust (in

Him)."

You might argue that such expressions are sym-

bolic. This would be reading into the exegesis and

would collapse in the face of the facts. There are

many instances of this kind in which mention is

made of persons who have been commissioned by

God to perform certain tasks as, for example, in

the Koranic saying: "We sent Noah unto people,

and he said: 'O my people! Serve Allah. Ye have no

other God save Him. Lo! I fear for you the

20

retribution of an Awful Day.' The chieftains of his

people said: 'Lo! we see you surely in plain error.'

He said: 'O my people! There is no error in me, but

I am a messenger from the Lord of the worlds. I

convey unto you the message of my Lord and give

good counsel unto you, and know from Allah that

which you know not'" (Sura 7 "The Heights":

verses 59—62). Such verses cannot be taken sym-

bolically because they refer to specific events.

18. What have you to say of the traditional pro-

phetic saying concerning the ritual of prayer en-

joined upon Muslims? This purports that Ibn Ishaq

cited Ibn Mas'ud as quoting the messenger of God

(Muhammad) saying, in the chronicle of the night

of ascension: "Gabriel finally brought me to the

presence of my Lord who ordained upon me fifty

prayer rituals daily. On my way back I passed by

Moses son of Imran, and what a friend you had in

him! He asked me how many prayers the Lord

imposed on me and I replied: 'Fifty daily.' He said:

'The prayers are burdensome and your people are

weak; return to your Lord and beg him to lessen

the burden on you and on your people.' I returned

and begged my Lord to lessen the burden on me

21

and on my people. He relieved me often. I left and

passed by Moses who said the same thing to me. I

returned and begged my Lord who relieved me of

ten. Then I left and passed by Moses who said the

same thing to me. I returned and implored God

and He relieved me of ten. He (Moses) kept re-

peating to me every time I returned to him: 'Return

and implore your Lord.' I ended up with the Lord

relieving me of the burden except for five ritual

prayers every day and night. This time I replied: 'I

have implored my Lord and begged to Him so

much that I am ashamed of Him. I will not return!

Therefore whosoever of you perform them by faith

and action he shall have the reward of fifty

prayers'" (The Prophet's Chronicles by Ibn Hisham

3:276).

19. I leave you with traditional prophetic quo-

tation to make up your mind in the light of it,

whether or not God does have relationships with

His creatures who, likewise, have a relationship

with Him. Furthermore, in an expression of love, I

put it thus to you: If you hold on to the belief of

"absolute elimination of anthropomorphic ele-

ments from the conception of deity" (Arabic:

TANZIH), you are believing in a God about whom

22

you know nothing and from whom you are con-

sequently separated totally. Such being the case,

you are implicitly denying Prophecy and the

Koran. A prophet cannot be called so, unless he is

inspired and sent forth to establish a relationship

between God and the creature.

20. The traditional prophetic saying reads:

"God, blessed and exalted be His name, descends

every night to the lowest heaven, where He remains

for the last third of the night, and calls: 'Is there

anyone praying to me and I will answer him? Any-

one beseeching of me and I will give him? Anyone

who repents before me and I will forgive him'"

(Bukhari4:68).

I believe that the "absolute elimination of an-

thropomorphic elements from the conception of

deity" (Arabic: TANZIH) which asserts God's

total detachment from created beings, makes Him,

an isolated God (exalted be His name). This leads

to dislocation in spiritual matters. Man cannot

repent and experience regeneration in isolation

from God. It is known by experience that all efforts

by man to lift himself from the state of sin to that of

righteousness prove of no avail, if man has no

23

contact with God. Christ, in His "Sermon on the

Mount," said: "Who of you by worrying can add a

single cubit to his height?" (Matthew 6:27). It

follows, by observation, that "absolute elimina-

tion of anthropomorphic elements from the con-

ception of deity" (Arabic: TANZIH), acts as an

obstacle to many in the way of accepting the con-

cept of incarnation. These persons have, therefore,

deprived themselves of the benefits of redemption.

In defence of their rejection of the teaching of

incarnation they offer a number of objections,

including the following:

21. They argue that Divine incarnation exposes

God to a change in the essence of his Deity at the

specific time and place, thus measuring God by the

measure of imperfect minds. In fact they are in-

directly attributing impotence to God, an inability

to become incarnate and appear without at all

changing His essence. The truth is that incarnation

does not necessarily involve a change in the divine

nature. Our proof of this is that the second basic

element of God or person in the Godhead (Arabic:

UQNUM), when He was united to human nature

did not forfeit His deity, but remained the same

mighty God who raised the dead, cured the blind

24

and the lepers, forgave sins and silenced storms

and waves by His command. The gospel tells us

that He appeared in the flesh in a supernatural

way, because He is the creator of the bodies and of

human nature and has no difficulty in being united

to them. Any belief to the contrary is an admission

that the creator of bodies and natures is not God

but some being.

22. We know by experience that any wise and

sane person can adjust himself to his environment

and circumstances. How much more likely is it that

an All Wise, Almighty God should be capable of

incarnation without any change occuring in His

essence?

Remember the sun sends its rays and warmth to

the earth, and in uniting with other beings on earth,

gives them life and helps them to grow without ever

any change occuring to the sun's composition. Is it

reasonable that the sun should have the potential

of uniting with other elements and influencing

them without being affected, while God the Crea-

tor of the sun and the elements should have no such

potency?

You believe that God created the first man of

"clay, like the potter's" (Sura 55 "The Beneficient":

25

verse 14). This implies that God stood at a definite

time and place because He held with His hand clay

from a given spot with which He made man at a

given time. If you say that His standing at a given

place and a given time does not confine Him

because He is Almighty, I would put it to you that

His incarnation at a given time and a given place

does not confine Him either because He is Al-

mighty. Christ, therefore, said: "The things which

are impossible with men are possible with God"

(Luke 18:27).

23. Tradition quotes Muhammed as saying:

"When the believers seek their God's intercession

on the day of resurrection, they come to me and I

go forth and ask for an audience with my God in

His house which is given to me. When I see my

God I lie prostrate before Him" (Bukhari 4:18).

A question arises here: "Why is a Christian

accused of blasphemy when he says that God

appeared in the flesh, while such an accusation is

not hurled at one who says that God is contained in

a house?"

In Sura 57 "Iron": verse 29, it is written: "the

bounty is in Allah's hand to give to whom He will.

And Allah is of Infinite bounty." In Sura 48 "Vic-

26

tory": verse 10, it is written: "they swear allegiance

only unto Allah. The Hand of Allah is above their

hands." In Sura 67 "The Sovereignty": verse 1, it is

written: "Blessed is He in Whose hand is the

Sovereignty, and He is Able to do all things."

It is written in Sura 11 "Hud": verse 37, that God

said to Noah: "Build the ship under Our eyes and

by Qur inspiration." It is written in Sura 52 "The

Mount": verse 48, that God said to Muhammad:

"So wait patiently for your Lord's decree for surely

you are in Our eye." It is written in Sura 20 "Taha":

verse 39, that God said to Moses: "When We

inspired in your mother saying: 'Throw him into

the ark... and there an enemy to Me and an

enemy to him shall take him.' And I endued you

with love from Me that you might be trained

according to My will."

Tradition quotes Abu Hurairah quoting Mu-

hammad as saying: "God created the creation and

when relationship on the female side stood, they

held to the waist of the Merciful One " (Bukhari

3:114).

All the above quotations say that God has a

face, a hand, an eye and a waist, all of which are

components of man's body. If the incarnation of

27

God is a blasphemy how can the foregoing verses

be explained?

25. How does the Holy God dwell in the womb of

a woman, in the midst of blood and the uncleanliness

of conception and childbirth? And how can He dwell

in a human body, eating and hungering, drinking and

thirsting, urinating and excreting?

Perhaps those who say so do not comprehend

the statement of the angel of God: "He who is

conceived by Mary is by the Holy Spirit." If God is

holier than to come into contact with the blood of a

woman, how do they believe that God took a rib of

Adam and made the woman out of it? How do

they explain the traditional Prophetic saying,

quoted by Aisha, when she said: "The Prophet

used to rest in my bosom during my menstruation

period and recite the Koran?" (Bukhari 1:44).

If blood were unclean and the Koran were the

eternal word of God originating in the very es-

sence of God and inseparable from Him, how does

Muhammad make it lawful for himself to read it

while lying on the bosom of Aisha, in her men-

struation, and yet it is unlawful for the Word to

indwell and be incarnate in the womb of Saint

Mary? It is written in Sura 15 "Al Hijr," verse 28:

28

"and when your Lord said to the angels: Lo! I am

creating a mortal out of dry clay made out of

stinking mud." Jalalan interpreted this type of

mud as "black mud." If coming into contact with

black mud is not regarded a degradation to the

holiness of God and does not defile Him, how

much more appropriate it is, after God had made

out of it man and crowned him over His creatures,

that He will not disdain to dwell in him? Praise be

to God for His word through the apostle Paul who

said: "Don't you know that you yourselves are

God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?"

(I Corinthians 3:16). If the Holy God sees no harm

in abiding by His Spirit in a believer, how much

more appropriate would it be for Him to indwell

the body of Jesus who knew no sin and who was

not born of human seed?

26. It is written in Sura 28 "The Story," verse 29:

"Then, when Moses had fulfilled the term, and was

travelling with his housefolk, he saw in the distance

a fire and said unto his housefolk: 'Bide you (here).

Lo! I see in the distance a fire, peradventure I shall

bring you tidings thence, or a brand from the fire

that you may warm yourselves.' And when he

reached it, he was called from the right side of the

29

valley in the blessed field, from the tree: 'O Moses!

Lo! I, even I, am Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.' "

The same story recurs in Sura 20 "Taha," verses

9—12: "Has there come unto you the story of

Moses? When he saw a fire and said unto his folk:

'Wait! Lo! I see a fire afar off. Peradventure I may

bring you a brand therefrom or may find guidance

at the fire.' And when he reached it, he was called

by name: 'O Moses! Lo! I, even I, am your Lord.

So take off your shoes, for lo! You are in the holy

valley of Tuwa. And I have chosen you, so hearken

unto that which is inspired.' "

The episode is explained by Imam Fakhruddin

Arrazi in the following manner: "Moses, peace be

on him, took leave of Shu'aib to return to his

mother and was granted it. As he went out a son

was born unto him by the road on a wintry Friday

night. He had strayed. Moses, peace be on him,

struck fire but the flint bore no flash. As he made

further attempts he observed a fire at a distance on

the left side of the wayside." Assaddi is quoted as

saying: "Moses thought it was a fire by some

shepherds." Others, relating the story said that

Moses saw it in a tree. "When he saw it, he pro-

ceeded towards it and told his household: 'Wait!

30

Lo! I saw a fire, peradventure I shall bring you a

piece of burning wood or flint.' When he reached

it," relates Ibn Abbas, "he saw a green tree from

stem to top as if it was white fire. He stood in

amazement at the bright light of the fire and the

deep green tree. Neither did the fire change the

green tree, nor was fire changed by the plenteous-

ness of water in the tree; Moses heard the angels

singing hymns of praise and saw a strong light.

When Moses beheld this he placed his hand on his

eyes and was called by name: 'O Moses! Lo! I am

your God.'He responded in obedience saying: 'I

hear your voice but cannot see you. Where are

you?' He (God) said: 'Lo! I am with you, before

you, behind you, around you and nearest to you...

Take off your shoes for lo! you are in the holy

valley'" (Attafsir Al Kabir Volume 22: Pages 14,

15).

In the Holy Bible the story is related thus: "And

the Angel of the Lord appeared to him (Moses) in a

flame of fire out of the midst of a bush and lo, the

bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And...

he turned aside to see, (and) God called to him out

of the bush... (and) said to him, 'Do not come

31

near; put off your shoes from your feet for the

place on which you are standing is holy ground'"

(Exodus 3:2—5).

My respected friend! If God, in order to speak to

Moses and commission him to carry a message to

mankind, chose to dwell in a bush and appear in

the form of fire, is it not unfair to accuse Chris-

tians of blaspheming because they believe that

God, in order to reveal Himself in love, appeared

in Jesus Christ? Is the bush in which God appeared

more significant than Christ?

27. I now put it to you, if Jesus, while in the

flesh, ate, drank and digested, that does not impair

the fullness of the Deity who dwelt in Him bodily.

This is illustrated in the Holy Bible thus: " I know,

and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is

nothing unclean of itself: But if anyone regards

something as unclean, then for him it is unclean"

(Romans 14:14).

28. Dear friend! Anyone who ponders deeply

over Holy Scripture cannot fail to observe that the

way God chose to reveal Himself and com-

municate His intentions, has been in the nature of

appearance and incarnation. It does not matter

whether such appearance and incarnation took

32

place in the cloud, in the fire, through the body of

the Angel of the Covenant or the body of Christ in

whom He appeared full of grace and truth.

In the epistle to the Hebrews 1:1,2, we read the

following statement which is regarded a key utter-

ance concerning God's contact with mankind: "In

the past God spoke to our forefathers through the

prophets at many times and in various ways, but in

these last days He has spoken to us by His Son,

whom He appointed heir of all things, and through

whom He made the worlds." Here are other exam-

ples of God's appearances and methods of speak-

ing to mankind, as recorded in the Holy Bible.

Genesis 18:1—5 says: "And the Lord appeared

to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door

of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his

eyes and looked, and behold, three men stood in

front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the

tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the

earth, and said, 'My Lord, if I have found favor in

your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little

water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest

yourselves under the tree, while I fetch a morsel of

bread, that you may refresh yourselves...' So they

said: 'Do as you have said.' " Here God appeared

33

to Abraham in the form of man who sat, ate and

drank.

Genesis 32:22—30 says that He appeared unto

Jacob in the shape of man and wrestled with him

until the break of day and when He asked Jacob to

let Him go, Jacob said: "I will not let you go, unless

you bless me," and He blessed him saying: ".. .for

you have striven with God and men and have

prevailed." And Jacob called the name of the place

Peniel: "for I have seen God face to face, and my

life is preserved."

Exodus 24 states: "Then Moses and Aaron and

Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel went up

and they saw the God of Israel and there was under

His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire

stone... and upon the nobles of the children of

Israel He laid not His hand." Here God's appear-

ance took the form of man with hands and legs,

but He did not lay His hands upon the nobles be-

cause they were sinners and in need of a mediator

who has the nature of God and the nature of man.

34

Chapter III

QUESTION:

"Is it not within the power of the Merciful God to

save mankind other than through sending His son,

presuming that God has a son as you claim, to take a

human body, be tempted like us and be killed at the

hands of wicked men?"

S.A.

Damascus,

Syria

29. The Holy Bible teaches that God created

man in His own image and in His likeness (Genesis

1:26). And God, Glory be to His name, intended

that man remain in an uncorrupt state. But man,

drawn by his pride to break God's command, de-

35

liberately disobeyed and went astray. He thus be-

came a sinner and liable to God's judgment which

declares: "The soul that sins shall die" (Ezekiel

18:20). The apostle Paul referred to this fact when

he said: "By one man sin entered into the world,

and death by sin; and so death passed to all men,

for all have sinned" (Romans 5:12).

The word of God teaches that humans, by

refusing to keep God in their knowledge, fell into

disobedience like their first parents. They have,

ever since, lost the image of righteousness and holi-

ness of truth in which God created them. They be-

came corrupt by their own voice; as Solomon the

Wise said: "Lo! God has made man upright, but

they have sought out many inventions" (Ec-

clesiastes 7:29); and so the apostle Paul said: "For

although they knew God, they neither glorified

Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their

thinking became futile and their foolish hearts

were darkened. AJthough they claimed to be wise,

they became fools" (Romans 1:21, 22).

It should have been possible for man, who was

created in the image of God, to avoid corruption

and decay and live in purity, had he kept God in his

knowledge. God did not only create us from

36

nothing and give us the breath of life, but He also

endowed us with the possibility of living in com-

munion with Him. But as men moved away from

the life of God and accepted Satan's temptation,

they brought about their own decline.

30. Is it worthy of God, to have man, whom He

created in His own image and in His likeness,

destined to perish for ever? What would the Crea-

tor do, whose attribute is that He is righteous and

His mercy unto everlasting? Would His rich loving

kindness allow corruption to efface His image

from mankind? Would His glorious divinity re-

joice at the perishing of the human community

whom He created in perfection? If He were to leave

them to such a wretched fate would that not be

neglect? But is negligence worthy of the glory of a

Holy God? Far be it from God's glory! Has He not

said: "As I live, says the Lord God, I have not

pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the

wicked turn from his way and live" (Ezekiel 33:11).

31. It is true that God, out of His bounteous

love, has willed that man be saved. How? Is it

through repentance? But repentance cannot over-

rule judgment and, consequently, lift punishment,

because this would not meet the demands of God's

37

justice. It is true that while repentance stands be-

tween the repenting person and the committal of

further sin, it does not eradicate the effect of

preceding sin and the judgment of God thereon. In

view of this predicament one would ask again:

What possible course of action is left for God,

"who wants all men to be saved, and come to a

knowledge of the truth" (I Timothy 2:4). In a

sense God wants to justify man in order to restore

such a corrupt being into a state of incorruption

and, at the same time, meet the demands of the

divine justice. This accords with the divine counsel

pertaining to sacrifice. Therefore, the Logos

(Word) Who "in the beginning was with God and

the Logos (Word) who was God," is alone worthy,

by His very nature, to bring about the regenera-

tion of all things by taking on a human body and

bearing, on behalf of man, the punishment pre-

scribed by divine justice. This is precisely why He

came down to our world and "was made flesh and

dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory

as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace

and truth" (John 1:14).

32. Assuredly, ever since the beginning, the

Word was preparing Himself for the flesh. That

38

godly man, Tertullian, declared that Christ was

preparing Himself for incarnation throughout the

ages that preceded His appearance. The truth is

that anyone contemplating the Holy Bible can see

that the Lord the Redeemer was the password

whispered, by inspiration, to the ears of God's

prophets in the Old Testament. Prophecy spoke of

Him by the mouth of the prophet Isaiah: "The

Lord Himself shall give you a sign; behold a virgin

shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His

name Immanuel... which, being interpreted is,

God with us" (Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23).

The inspired word tells us that "when the time

had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a

woman, born under law, to redeem those under

law, that we might receive the full rights of sons"

(Galatians4:4, 5).

The gospel of redemption reveals to us that all

have come under the punishment of death which

cannot be abolished except by the death of One

righteous, who knew no sin. The Word volunteered

by taking on human flesh, that the judgment of

death might be fulfilled in Him on behalf of all who

believe. This secret is revealed to us by the apostle

Paul who said: "Therefore, there is now no con-

39

demnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit

of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For

what the law was powerless to do in that it was

weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending

His own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin

offering. And so He condemned sin in sinful man,

in order that the righteous requirements of the law

might be fully met in us, who do not live according

to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit"

(Romans 8:1—4). This means that the Lord and

Redeemer, in offering that body which He took

upon Himself as a burnt offering and sacrifice with

no blemish, did away with the judgment of death

upon all on whose behalf He acted. Thus, because

He is exalted above all and is without sin, He was

able to meet the demands of divine justice.

33. You might face some difficulty in under-

standing the secret of redemption. But when you

contemplate the teaching of the Gospel concerning

God's love and abundance of mercy, you will find

that such work is in harmony with the compassion

attributed to God. Below are some of the texts in

the New Testament inspired and written for our

teaching. By reading through them you would see

40

to what extent the love of God went for your own

salvation:

f " Since the children have flesh and blood, He

too shared in their humanity so that by His death

He might destroy him who holds the power of

death — that is, the devil" (Hebrews 2:14).

f "We are justified freely by His grace through

the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God

presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through

faith in His blood. He did this to demonstrate His

justice, because in His forbearance He had left the

sins committed beforehand unpunished" (Romans

3:24,25).

"I* "But God demonstrates His own love for us in

this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Since we have now been justified by His blood, how

much more shall we be saved from God's wrath

through Him!" (Romans 5:8, 9).

f "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave

Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with

Him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32).

34. Prophetic Proof of Divine Incarnation

f "I was ready to be sought by those who did

not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those

41

who did not seek me. I said, 'Here am I, here am I,

to a nation that did not call on my name. I spread

out my hands all the day to a rebellious people,

who walk in a way that is not good, following their

own devices' " (Isaiah 65:1,2).

This verse refers to the incarnation of Jesus

Christ, because Paul quoted it when he spoke on

the subject thus: "I was found by those who did

not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not

ask for me. But concerning Israel he says, 'All day

long I have held out my hands to a disobedient

and obstinate people'" (Romans 10:20,. 21). It was

Jesus who indeed stretched forth His hands on the

cross.

f "They shall see the glory of the Lord, the

majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands,

and make firm the feeble, knees. Say to those who

are of a fearful heart, 'Be strong, fear not! 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 unstopped; then shall the lame man

leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing"

(Isaiah 35:2—5).

This prophecy not only explains that God dwells

42

here, but declares the signs of His coming and

describes His works as quoted in the Gospel exact-

ly, thus: "For John the Baptist calling two of his

disciples sent them to Jesus to ask, 'Are you the

one who was to come, or should we expect some-

one else?'... And Jesus answered them, 'Go back

and report to John what you have seen and heard:

The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who

have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are

raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.

Blessed is the man who does not fall away on

account of me' " (Luke 7:19—24).

t "Seventy weeks of years are decreed concern-

ing your people and your holy city, to finish the

transgression, and to put an end to sins, and to

atone for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting

righteousness, and to seal both vision and prophet,

and to anoint the Most Holy. Know, therefore, and

understand, that from the going forth of the word

to restore and build Jerusalem, to the coming of an

anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks"

(Daniel 9:24, 25).

In this prophecy we find not only a reference to

Christ but a clear declaration that the One who will

be anointed is not merely a man but the Most

43

Holy. Actually when Christ came, the revelation

and prophecy centred on the Jewish people among

whom monarchy had come to an end. It was to be

expected that their kings be anointed until the time

of the anointing of the Most Holy One. Jacob

prophesied that Kings among the Jews would last

until the coming of the Messiah when he said: "The

scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's

staff from between his feet, until Shiloh, i.e., the

Messiah, come; and to him shall be the obedience

of the people" (Genesis 49:10).

f "Sacrifice and offering you do not desire; but

you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and

sin offering you have not required. Then I said,

'Lo, I come; in the roll of the book it is written of

me. I delight to do your will, O my God" (Psalm

40:6—8).

35. When comparing these verses with those

quoted in Hebrews 10:6—10, we observe that this

glorious psalm applies fully to the person of Jesus.

Our glorious Lord exhibited the sacrifice and offer-

ings of the Old Testament such as the sacrifices of

safety, the burnt offerings and sin offerings, and

after reviewing them wisely pronounced: "They

were not what the Most High required."

44

Holy Scripture reveals to us that it was in the

everlasting counsel of God to prepare a better

sacrifice. As we bow our heads in reverence, the

Holy Spirit takes us back to the eternal past which

we cannot fully comprehend because of our human

limitations, but which we understand from God's

revelations in His Holy Book, and visualise that

"the basic elements" of the Deity or three Persons

in the Godhead (Arabic: AQ ANIM), looked down

on our human race which was to come into being,

and upon the sin that was to enter into the world,

and with it death, and ordained that the redemp-

tion should take place. We visualise God the Son

volunteering to undertake the sacrificial task, say-

ing: "Here I go to make atonement for a world that

has fallen back."

36. In the interest of mankind the Incarnate

Lord was not content that God's redemptive will

be restricted to a nation that considered itself the

sole heir to the Promises of God, but wished it to

embrace the whole world.

One might be tempted to ask: Why was death

accomplished through the cross rather than by

some other means? In answer to this, I would say

that it was the pleasure of God to redeem us Him-

45

self, and there is no other way better for us and

more worthy of the Lord. It was good that the

Incarnate Lord bore this type of death for our

sake. For if He had to justify us from sin under

which the law pinned us down, how else would it

be possible for Him to be sin for us, had He not

died carrying our sins on the cross?

And if the death of the Incarnate Lord became

an atonement for all, and, by His death, the middle

wall of partition had been broken, i. e. the enmity

(Ephesians 2:14), so that the call might embrace

all nations; then how would it have been possible

to call us to be reconciled to C^d, had He not been

crucified? Thanks be to Him that this was His joy

and that He saw fit to bear this humiliating death

and stretch forth both hands on the cross in order

to draw the saints of the Old Covenant with one

hand, and, with the other, those from among the

gentiles, in order that all be united in His glorious

Person, as He said: "When I am lifted up from the

earth, I will draw all men to myself (John 12:32).

46

TEST QUESTIONS

If you are interested in checking your understanding

of this book, please answer the following questions.

If 28 of the 36 listed questions are answered cor-

rectly, we will send you another booklet by Iskan-

der Jadeed.

1. Why is man unable to be good and perfect on

his own?

2. What is the only way of reconciliation with

God?

3. What are the three proofs mentioned, that

man is totally a sinner?

4. Is it God's will for us to remain sinners? What

is the means of our salvation?

5. What is the deepest longing in man's heart?

6. By what means can man be lifted to the level of

God?

7. What are the essential qualifications for a

mediator between us and God?

8. How have the necessary qualifications for a

divine mediator been fulfilled in Christ?

9. What are the two elements indicative of the

perfect good for humanity?

10. Why did Christ gather the disciples around

Him?

47

11. How did Jesus react to His arrest by His

enemies?

12. How did Christ's victory become clear?

13. What is the result of Christ's death and res-

urrection?

14. How was the world convinced of Christ's

divinity?

15. How can man's life be transformed at the root?

16. What are the attributes given in the Holy Bible

to Christ?

17. Does Islam establish a relationship between

the Creator and His creatures?

18. How does Prophetic tradition indicate a direct

relationship between God and mankind?

19. What is implied by the conception of the

"absolute elimination of anthropomorphic

elements from the conception of Deity" (Ara-

bic: TANZIH)?

20. What does Prophetic tradition say about

God's descent every night?

21. How can you prove that God's incarnation

does not change the essence of the power of

God?

22. Was God able to be incarnate and realise His

will?

48

23. What is meant by the text of the traditional

prophetic saying that God is contained in a

house?

24. How did the Holy God dwell in the belly of a

woman?

26. What is meant by God appearing to Moses in

the burning bush?

27. What is unclean?

28. What about God's contact with worldly matter

in His revelations, without being defiled? Is

that not an indication that God was able to be

incarnate without suffering loss?

29. How did men lose the image of God?

30. Is it reasonable to suppose that God would

leave His creatures to remain corrupt?

31. Why is man's mere repentance not enough for

salvation?

32. What are the proofs, from divine inspiration,

of Christ's incarnation?

33. What are the prophetic proofs of the Lord's

incarnation?

35. What is the most favored sacrifice in God's

view?

36. Did Jesus aim, by His redemption, at all man-

kind or only the Jews?

Send your answer to:

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Table of Contents

Did God Appear in the Flesh?