Challenge to
Christians
Answered By Quennel Gale
in
response to
Abdullah Smith
(of www.answering-christianity.com)
POINTS
1-11 Part 1
Osama Abdallah has enlisted the help
of other Muslims on his website. One such
Muslim is Abdullah Smith. In his list he has allegedly composed a series of
practices that he believes Christians selectively follow. We will examine these
practices and Mr. Smith’s comments while exposing his selective quoting and
Islamic propagandists’ selective use of the Bible.
He Says:
I have compiled a list of verses that Christians neglect.
They practice what is called ‘selective morality’ when it comes to the Bible.
They choose verses and jam it down ours throats, and the rest they ignore and
reject vehemently. Its about time we have exposed this truth about those who
claim to be followers of Christ. They really don’t follow him at all. My
comments are in red.
(1) Do they fast like Jesus?
When you fast, do not look somber as the
hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting.
I tell you the truth, they have received their reward
in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so
that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting,
but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done
in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:16-18)
And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was
afterward an hungred. (Matthew 4:2)
And he said unto them, This kind
can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
(Mark 9:29)
People had complained to Jesus saying, “Why do the disciples
of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the
Pharisees; but thine eat and drink?” (Luke 5:33). But
Jesus replied that as long as he is with them his disciples should not fast,
but after he is taken away then “they will fast in those days” (Luke 5:35).
So after they had fasted and prayed… (Acts 13:3)
* Christians do not fast; neither do
they put oil on their heads. The disciples fasted like Jesus after his
departure, and Muslims fast like them too!
Response:
First off Mr. Smith begins by poisoning the well and claims
that Christians jam certain verses down Muslims’ throats while practicing
selective morality. In reality, Muslims such as his friend Osama Abdallah are guilty of selectively using the Bible. One example
is Muslims claiming that the Bible is corrupted while at the same time using
the Bible as an accurate source when it helps prove their case.
Furthermore, Mr. Smith is totally wrong about Christians not
putting oil on their heads before a fast. Churches across the
world use “olive oil” as “blessed oil”, before many major prayers and fasts.
I am really disappointed in Mr. Smith for bringing this charge up because
apparently he has never attended a Church in his life!
Many Christians would be shocked to hear this allegation and
would immediately say, “Where does this guy get his information?” Well to put
it mildly for the reader, Muslims will believe just about anything that one of
their own conspirators may say. Hence, because most Muslims who live in Muslim
countries don’t have Churches whatsoever, they have no way of knowing whether
Mr. Smith’s charge are false or not. However, in the
western world, Churches are plentiful and I haven’t seen a Church that doesn’t
use oil for prayers or very important practices such as fasting! Mr. Smith also
commits a major fallacy with his claim, namely that he hasn’t validated his
assertion with any evidence. If he claims that Christians don’t fast by putting
oil over their heads, he needs to present some type of credible survey showing
the percentage of Churches who neglect this practice etc. Unless he is
omnipresent, like God, and has the ability to see inside of every Church on
earth, Mr. Smith has no way of validating his claim as being true.
Furthermore, Mr. Smith needs to be careful because Christians
aren’t commanded to always fast 40 days like Jesus.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be
tempted by the devil. After fasting
forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and
said, "If you are the Son of God,
tell these stones to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written:
'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth
of God.' Matthew 4:1-4
From reading the context of this passage, the Spirit led Jesus
to be tempted by the devil and challenge his claim of being “THE SON OF GOD”,
and whether he would remain an obedient Son. It is obvious that this practice
is specific only to Jesus because “the tempter, or Satan” came to him after the
40 days of his fasting so as to goad him to “do this or that” in order to prove
that he is the Son of God. Yet nowhere in this passage is it commanded upon
Jesus’ followers to adhere to this type of fasting which entails:
1. Go to a desert.
2. Fast 40 days.
3. Allow Satan to come.
4. Test the claim whether we are the sons of God, etc.
Taking Mr. Smith’s argument at face value would not only bring
problems to his credibility as a Bible exegete but it would expose Islam since
the Quran explicitly denies that Jesus is the Son of
God in the first place. Therefore, if Mr. Smith has a problem with Christians
not following Jesus, then would he have a problem with his denial of the fact
that Jesus is called “THE SON OF GOD”? According to Islam he would have to deny
this truth, and therefore would be in direct conflict with the teachings of the
Bible! This makes it is obvious that this is a non-argument.
Even more problematic for Mr. Smith’s position is that Muslims
also don’t fast like Jesus as he erroneously claims:
Why Do Muslims Fast during
Ramadan?
BY
Abdullateef Bello
"...whoever witnesses
the Month of Ramadan should fast through it..." Q(2:185)
Abstract
As muslims prepare for the
age-old annual compulsory one-month fast, this article looks closely at some of
the reasons why muslims do Ramadan fast. It also traces the history of fasting in
Islam.
History of Ramadan Fast
What turns out now to be a compulsory annual event
(i.e fasting during the month of Ramadan by all
able-bodied muslims) started
in the early years of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) in Medina, precisely in the
second year of Hijra. Prior to his flight to Medina (known as Hijra), the Prophet(s.a.w) was in the habit of
fasting three times per month (this
gives 36 days in a year) when he was in Mecca
and to a great extent when he settled in Medina.
Not long, the Prophet(s.a.w)
soon discovered that the Jews in Medina
used to set aside one special day for
fasting. By Islamic lunar calendar, the day used to be 10th of
Muharram, often called yawmu :ashura. The Prophet(s.a.w) then asked the Jews
about the significance of the day. He was told that it is the day Allah helped
Prophet Musa(a.s) to humiliate, defeat and drown
the tyrant, Fir'aon. By all standard, since Musa(a.s) was a prophet of Allah
and of course a muslim, the Prophet(s.a.w) felt that Musa(a.s) was nearer to him as a Prophet (as well as to the muslims) than to the Jews. To this end, he ordered his companions to fast along with him that day.
Narrated Ibn 'Abbas(r.a):
When Allah's Apostle(s.a.w) arrived at Medina, he found the Jews
fasting on the day of 'Ashura. The Prophet(s.a.w) asked (about it) and they replied: "This is the
day when Moses(a.s) became victorious over Fir'aon". The Prophet(s.a.w) said (to the muslims),
"We are nearer to Moses than they, so fast on this day" (Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol.6, p.233)
The Prophet(s.a.w) also
sent a companion to go round Medina to announce to all the muslims
that whoever has eaten should fast for the remaining hours of the day and
whoever has not eaten should fast for the day (see Sahih
Al-Bukhari, vol. 3, hadeeth
181, p. 103). It is evident that 'Ashura fast was the
first communal fast made obligatory for the muslims
by the Prophet(s.a.w)
whereas his own habit of 3-day-fast-per-month remained optional.
The All-knowing Allah formally revealed two verses
regarding fasting in the second year of Hijra: the
verses spelt out the reasons for fasting; when to do so; who should be
exempted? etc. Let's see the verses:
"O ye who believe, fasting is prescribed for
you as it was prescribed for people before you so that you will (learn how to
attain) piety" (Q2:183)
"(fasting is) for a fixed number of days: but
if any one of you is sick, or on a journey, the prescribed number (should be
made up) from (other) days later. For those who can do it (with hardship) is a
ransom, the feeding of one that is indigent. But whoever can give more (than
this) of his own free will--(then) it is better for him, and it is better for
you that ye fast, if ye but knew." Q(2:184) When
these two verses were revealed, 'Aisha(r.a) reported that the Prophet(s.a.w)
then said to the muslims: "Ramadan fast is a
divine obligation but whoever likes to fast 'Ashura
day (as well) may do so voluntarily or leave it". Undoubtedly, Ramadan fast is a blessing to the muslims in the sense that from
one-day 'Ashura fast, Allah gave them a whole month
of Ramadan instead. Ramadan may be 29 or 30 days depending on when the moon was
sighted.
A cursory look at the qur'anic
verses above reveals that the All-wise intend ease for
the muslims and not difficulty: for instance, ransom
was allowed for those who choose not to fast due to hardship or difficulty.
This freedom or leniency was shortlived when the
All-wise and the All-knowing Allah tightened His injunction with another
revelation that nullified giving ransom, by able-bodied muslims,
in exchange for missed Ramadan fast thus:
"Ramadan is the (month) in which Qur'an was sent down, as a guide to mankind, and a clear
guidance and judgement (so that mankind will
distinguish right from wrong). Whoever among you witnesses the month of Ramadan
should fast through it. But whoever is sick or on a journey, the prescribed
period (missed should be made up) by days later. Allah wants ease for you and
He does not want to put you into difficulties. (He wants you) to complete the
prescribed period and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance
ye shall be grateful" Q(2:185).
This verse shows that Allah wants every able-bodied
muslim to "complete the
prescribed period" (30 or 29 days depending on when the moon was sighted).
It infact re-emphasises the
importance of Ramadan fast which Allah made clear in the last part of Q(2:184) where He said: "...it is better for you that
ye fast if ye but knew". Unambiguously, feeding of the poor person as a
ransom for not fasting (by those who can fast) is not allowed by Q(2:185). This is the genesis of Ramadan fast in Islam.
Remarkably, it is clear that 'Ashura
fast was replaced by Ramadan fast, but the habit of fasting 3-day-per-month
which the Prophet(s.a.w)
used to do was a blessing in someway because his 36 days a year fasting can be
interpreted thus: Allah approved 30 days as FARD (i.e
obligatory) for the month of Ramadan, and the Prophet(s.a.w)
recommended six days fasting in the month of Shawwal for all muslims (though this is voluntary). If these two fastings are adopted, one would have done 36 days (which is
the same as fasting round the year). (Source)
As you can see from the quotation above, MUSLIMS AT THE VERY
MOST ONLY FAST 36 DAYS NOT 40 LIKE JESUS! Secondly, the original purpose for
fasting in Islam doesn’t come from Jesus’ fasting but from Moses in his dealing
with Pharoah! The Ramadan fast isn’t 40 days, it is 29-30 days depending on the time of the
appearance of the crescent moon. Allah, in his alleged wisdom, prescribed
Ramadan not as a continuance of Jesus’ fasting but as Muhammad’s
self-proclaimed prophetic calling and his being given the Quran.
Hence, Mr. Smith is dead wrong when he asserts that Muslims adhere to Jesus’
way of fasting, since nothing could be more farther from the truth.
More importantly, can Mr. Smith show us in the Quran, Hadith or Sirah literature where it’s commanded for Muslims to not
just fast for 40 days, but to cover their head with oil, or call themselves the
“Son of God” like Jesus did? If he can’t then his claim against Christians and
his defense of Muslims is absolutely wrong!
He Says:
(3)
Do they behave like Jesus?
The Bible describes the character of Jesus:
So he made a whip out of cords,
and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the
coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. (John 2:5)
And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I
to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
(John 2:3-4)
But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign
over them, bring hither, and slay [them] before me.
(Luke 19:27)
I have come to bring
fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! (Luke 12:49)
Response:
Frankly I don’t see the purpose of using these verses as a summation
of Jesus’ character. These are out of context verses isolated from their
historical and theological settings. If Mr. Smith is using this to try and
claim that Christians should whip people and be violent, he needs to watch
himself. This can easily be used against him and Islam without requiring us to
quote out of context. Now let’s look at the verses in question one more time:
So he made a whip out of cords,
and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the
coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. (John 2:5)
First off, Mr. Smith is quoting John 2:15 (not 2:5) out of
context. When we view the immediate verses around it we find the reason why
Jesus whipped the men of the temple:
When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went
up to Jerusalem.
In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and
others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords,
and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the
coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare
you turn my Father's house into a market!"
John 2:13-16
The reason why Jesus whipped these men is because the temple
courts were for the worship of God and not for making money. Also this website
proves that only Jesus had the authority to do this, not his followers:
"THE GOSPEL OF JOHN"
The Cleansing Of The Temple (2:13-25)
INTRODUCTION
1. It is common to think of Jesus as a gentle, peace-loving man...
a. He certainly presented Himself as such on most occasions - e.g.,
Mt 11:28-30
b. People felt comfortable in bringing their children to Him - e.g.,
Mt 19:13-14
2. Yet on occasion Jesus displayed strong righteous indignation...
a. Such as when He visited Jerusalem during the Passover at the
beginning of His ministry
b. As He drove the moneychangers and merchandisers out of the temple
- Jn 2:13-15
[What prompted this outburst of anger? What gave Jesus the authority to
do this? What lessons might we glean from this event? As we seek to
find the answers let's first note...]
I. THE REBUKE OF THE LORD
A. MERCHANDISING HIS FATHER'S HOUSE...
1. The Lord's rebuke reveals the reason for His outburst - cf. Jn
2:16
2. The sellers of oxen and sheep, along with the moneychangers,
had turned the temple into a house of merchandise
3. It was to be a house of prayer, they had turned it into a den
of thieves - cf. Mt 21:13
-- The Lord was angered by the manner in which some used religion
to make money
B. MIGHT WE BE GUILTY OF A SIMILAR OFFENSE...?
1. What if we attend church simply as a form of "networking", to
make business contacts?
2. What if we take advantage of our relationship as brethren to
further a multilevel marketing business, a home-based business,
or any other financial enterprise?
-- The Lord's temple today is the church, we must be careful lest
we defile it as well (cf. 1 Co 3:16-17)
[The Lord has ordained that those who preach the gospel be supported (1
Co 9:14). But He is angered by those who view the Lord's temple
(people) as a way to get rich. Next, we note that His anger was
prompted by...]
II. THE ZEAL OF THE LORD
A. ZEAL FOR HIS FATHER'S HOUSE...
1. The disciples were reminded of an Old Testament prophecy - Jn
2:17; cf. Psa 69:9
2. Jesus had zeal (fervor) for God's house, for it's intended
purpose (a house of prayer)
-- His great zeal for His Father's house moved Him to action
B. HOW IS OUR ZEAL FOR THE LORD'S HOUSE...?
1. Remember, today the Father's house is the church - cf. 1 Ti
3:15
2. Do we have great zeal for the church?
a. That it fulfill it's intended purpose (to make known God's
will)? - cf. Ep 3:10-11
b. That we are troubled when we see people try to turn it into
something else, such as social club, or a purveyor of
entertainment?
-- If we have zeal for the Lord's house, we will not rest silent
when others pervert its purpose
[Of course, the action we take may not be the same as what Jesus did.
Indeed, He took up "a whip of cords." What right did He have to use
such a display of force? That's what the Jews wanted to know...]
III. THE AUTHORITY OF THE LORD
A. THE SIGN THAT PROVES HIS AUTHORITY...
1. They wanted to know what sign (miracle) He could offer to prove
His right to cleanse the temple - Jn 2:18
2. Jesus offered His ability to rise from the dead as the ultimate
proof - Jn 2:19-22
a. Later, He would restate His claim to have this ability - Jn
10:17-18
b. His resurrection proved that He was the Son of God - cf. Ro
1:4
-- He has been given the authority to exercise such judgment as
cleansing the temple - cf. Jn 5:22,26-27
B. WE DO NOT HAVE THE SAME AUTHORITY...
1. We are to judge with righteous judgment - Jn 7:24
a. At times we must distinguish between "hogs" and "dogs" - Mt
7:6
b. We can distinguish between good and bad fruit - Mt 7:15-20
2. But our authority to judge is limited - Mt 7:1-5
a. There are things we cannot judge in this life - 1 Co 4:3-5
b. There are people we are not to judge - 1 Co 5:11-13
c. Vengeance in particular belongs to the Lord - cf. Ro 12:
17-19
-- While Jesus is our example (cf. 1 Pe 2:21), there are some
"steps" that He took that we cannot take
[The reason we cannot emulate the Lord in every case becomes evident as
we consider...]
IV. THE POWER OF THE LORD
A. THE POWER THAT JUSTIFIES HIS ACTION...
1. John mentions how many came to believe in Him because of His
signs - Jn 2:23
2. John also makes note of His unwillingness to commit Himself to
others at this time
a. He had no need to, because he knew all - Jn 2:24
b. He had no need to, because he knew what was in man - Jn 2:25
-- Jesus is revealed as one who can discern the hearts of men
- cf. Mt 9:4; Re 2:23
B. WE DO NOT HAVE THE SAME POWER...
1. We cannot discern the hearts of men like the Lord can; note
these comments:
a. "Our Lord knew all men, their nature, dispositions,
affections, designs, so as we do not know any man, not even
ourselves."
b. "He knows his crafty enemies, and all their secret projects;
his false friends, and their true characters."
c. "He knows who are truly his, knows their uprightness, and
knows their weaknesses."
d. "We know what is done by men; Christ knows what is in them,
he tries the heart."
-- Matthew Henry Commentary
2. Since we cannot read the hearts of men, we must be careful
a. We are unable to always know the motives of others
b. We must approach those in opposition with humility - cf.
2 Ti 2:24-26
c. We must approach brethren overtaken in a fault with
gentleness - cf. Ga 6:1
CONCLUSION
1. In contending for the faith (which is a solemn duty, Ju 3)...
a. Some often use the example of Jesus cleansing the temple to
justify their behavior
b. As they lash out in anger (righteous indignation?) towards those
teaching error
2. Is it right to appeal to Jesus' example in this case...?
a. Can we appeal to every example of Jesus?
b. If so, are we justified to use a whip of cords as well?
3. The immediate context offers reasons to answer carefully...
a. Jesus possessed unlimited authority to judge man, proven by His
resurrection from the dead
b. Jesus possessed divine power to read the hearts of men, we
sometimes cannot even discern our own hearts
4. There are times for righteous indignation...
a. But some things must be left to the Lord, the righteous Judge
b. We must avoid what might actually be "self-righteous" indignation!
While we may not always be able to emulate the Lord's prerogative to
judge, we should certainly strive to copy His zeal for His Father's
house. Is our zeal for His church what it ought to be...? (Source)
This
link gives explicit references and details as to why Jesus whipped the moneychangers
in the temple and it shows that “we” Christians don’t have the same right to do
what he did. Hence, Mr. Smith ostracizes Christians for doing something that we
have no divine sanction to do in the first place. In this case Mr. Smith wants
us to sin or by arrogating to ourselves the very divine prerogatives which
Jesus alone has. Christians know this, Muslims don’t
because Muslims don’t know the Bible.
And
when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto
him, They have no wine.
Jesus
saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
(John
2:3-4)
I
don’t see the problem with this passage either. Unless Mr. Smith is trying to
say that Jesus was insensitive with his words here. If so, this is only a
matter of opinion. Also Mr. Smith’s other Muslim brothers, Osama Abdallah and Sami Zaatari would clearly recommend that Christians and other
Non-Muslims refer to the Arabic of the Quran to get a
clearer meaning and not just rely on an English translation. We would like to
do the same to show you that Mr. Smith is totally ignorant of the NT Greek in
this verse. In fact we will let the famous A.T. Robertson, who was one of the
foremost NT Greek authorities in the Western world, explain this for us:
Woman (gunai). Vocative case of gunh, and with no idea of
censure as is plain from its use by Jesus in Luke 19:26. But the use of gunai instead
of mhter (Mother) does show her she can no longer exercise maternal
authority and not at all in his Messianic work. That is always a difficult
lesson for mothers and fathers to learn, when to let go. What have I to do with thee? (Ti emoi
kai soi;). There are a number of
examples of this ethical dative in the LXX (Judges 11:12; 2 Samuel 16:10; 1 Kings 17:18; 2 Kings 3:13; 2 Chronicles 35:21) and in the N.T. (Mark
1:24; Mark
5:7; Matthew
8:29; Matthew
27:19; Luke
8:28). Some
divergence of thought is usually indicated. Literally the phrase means,
"What is it to me and to thee?" In this instance F.C. Burkitt (Journal of Theol. Studies, July, 1912) interprets it to mean,
"What is it to us?" That is certainly possible and suits the next
clause also. Mine hour is not yet come
(oupw hkei h wra mou). This phrase marks
a crisis whenever it occurs, especially of his death (Luke 7:30; Luke 8:20; Luke 12:23; Luke 13:1; Luke 17:1). Here apparently it means
the hour for public manifestation of the Messiahship,
though a narrower sense would be for Christ's intervention about the failure of
the wine. The Fourth Gospel is written on the plane of eternity (W. M. Ramsay)
and that standpoint exists here in this first sign of the Messiah. (Robertson AT, “Word
Pictures of the New Testament” Commentary on John 2:4 Source)
The
reason for Jesus using this language was to show his mother that she didn’t
exercise her maternal authority over him any longer because he was a FULL GROWN
MAN. Robertson expounds on this in saying that it’s hard for parents to let go
of their kids and let them be adults like they were allowed to be adults. Now
unless Mr. Smith is implying that Christian adults should manipulate and
control their children, I don’t see any problem with this. I guess Mr. Smith is
a “momma’s boy”?
But
those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring
hither, and slay
[them] before me. (Luke 19:27)
First
off, in the Parable of the Ten Minas, Jesus is represented here as being the
King. Last I checked, the NT teaches that Jesus is God and that God has the
right to slay his enemies, a point with which even the Quran
agrees. In fact we will post this for Mr. Smith to refresh his memory:
And the Jews say: Ezra is the son of Allah, and the Christians say: The Messiah is the
son of Allah. That is their saying with their mouths. THEY IMITATE THE SAYING
OF THOSE WHO DISBELIEVE OF OLD. ALLAH (HIMSELF) FIGHTETH AGAINST THEM. HOW
PERVERSE ARE THEY! They have taken as lords beside Allah their rabbis and their
monks and the Messiah son of Mary, when they were bidden to worship only One
Allah. There is no Allah save Him. Be He Glorified
from all that they ascribe as partner (unto Him)! Fain would they put out
the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah disdaineth
(aught) save that He shall perfect His light, however much the disbelievers are
averse. He it is Who hath sent His messenger with the guidance
and the Religion of Truth, that He may
cause it to PREVAIL OVER ALL RELIGION, however much the idolaters may be averse.
O ye who believe! Lo! many of the (Jewish) rabbis and
the (Christian) monks devour the wealth of mankind wantonly and debar (men)
from the way of Allah. They who hoard up gold and silver and spend it not in
the way of Allah, unto them give tidings (O Muhammad) of a painful doom, On the
day when it will (all) be heated in the fire of hell, and their foreheads and
their flanks and their backs will be branded therewith (and it will be said
unto them): Here is that which ye hoarded for yourselves. Now taste of what ye
used to hoard. S. 9:30-35
Here
are some narrations which reflect the very spirit and attitude of in Surah 9:30:
Narrated 'Aisha and 'Abdullah bin
'Abbas:
When the last
moment of the life of Allah's Apostle came
he started putting his 'Khamisa' on his face and when
he felt hot and short of breath he took it off his face and said, "MAY ALLAH CURSE THE JEWS AND CHRISTIANS
for they built the places of worship at the graves of their Prophets." The
Prophet was warning (Muslims) of what those had done. (Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 8, Number 427)
Note again what 9:30 says:
And the Jews say: Ezra is the son of Allah, and the Christians say: The Messiah is the
son of Allah. That is their saying with their mouths. THEY IMITATE THE SAYING OF THOSE WHO DISBELIEVE OF OLD. ALLAH (HIMSELF) FIGHTETH AGAINST THEM (Arabic: qaatalahumu llahu anna yu'fakoona--
Literally-May Allah KILL THEM). HOW PERVERSE
ARE THEY! S. 9:30
Now
obviously Mr. Smith should have a problem with this also right? But I’m sure
he’ll find someway to explain such nonsense. In the Bible God is talking about
destroying his enemies who have opposed him and refused to accept his offer of
salvation. And the Bible says that God will even destroy those who seek to
destroy the remnant of his people from both the Jews and Christians (Cf.
Zechariah 12-14; Revelation 121-17; 19:11-21). In the Quran,
however, God wants to kill Jews and Christians! Or more appropriately I should
say that is Muhammad who wanted to kill Jews and Christians since the Quran isn’t inspired by God.
I
have come to bring fire on the
earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! (Luke 12:49)
This
seems good on the surface but the fire Mr. Smith is talking about is one of
hatred. Let’s turn to the Bible to see what “fire” Jesus is talking about:
“I
have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!
But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed!
Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one
family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.
They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against
daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and
daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." Luke 12:49-53
The
fire that Jesus is speaking of is the division which occurs because of one’s
love and devotion to Christ. In other words, it is not believers who hate
others, but others who will hate the believers because of their love for Jesus.
Even family members of the believers will hate them because of their faith in
the Messiah which the former reject. Also we have more “fire” for Mr. Smith:
John answered them all, "I baptize you
with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the
thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WITH FIRE. Luke 3:16
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all
together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came
from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to BE TONGUES OF FIRE
THAT SEPERATED and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled
with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the
Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:1-4
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised
his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in
Jerusalem, let me
explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk,
as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by
the prophet Joel: "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will
prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even
on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those
days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and
signs on the earth below, blood AND FIRE AND BILLOWS OF SMOKE. The sun
will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great
and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved.' "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of
Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs,
which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was
handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the
help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.
But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because
it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. Acts 2:14-24
As you can clearly see, the “fire” of the Bible brought by Jesus is the
Holy Ghost, tongues, miracles and the spirit of prophecy that will divide the
world to either follow him and his word or reject him. This is the division
that Jesus is talking about. Paul expounds even more on this under the divine
inspiration of God:
What, after all, is Apollos? And what is
Paul? Only servants,
through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God
made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but
only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have
one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are
God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. By the grace God has
given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is
building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can
lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood,
hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring
it to light. IT WILL BE REVEALED WITH
FIRE, AND THE FIRE WILL TEST THE QUALITY OF EACH MAN’S WORK. If what he has
built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer
loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
1 Cor. 3:5-15
Now what is this fire? The Bible tells us:
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let
us be thankful, and so worship God
acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "GOD IS A CONSUMING FIRE."
Hebrews 12:28-29
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in
Christ Jesus. DO NOT PUT OUT THE
SPIRIT’S FIRE; do not treat prophecies with contempt. 1 Thess.
5:18-20
God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give
relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven IN BLAZING
FIRE WITH HIS POWERFUL ANGELS. He will punish those who do not know God and DO
NOT OBEY THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS. 2 Thess.
1:6-8
The “Fire” of the Bible in this instance is God himself, his Son Jesus
Christ, and his Holy Spirit, the Divine Trinity. God is the only one who will
test man’s works to find them acceptable, he is the only one who will judge
men, and he is the only one who can save men. Yes, Mr. Smith is right, Jesus
did come to bring fire which will divide men, reason why is because not all men
will follow God and therefore cause division in families and among the
inhabitants of the earth. Is Mr. Smith against this fire (God)? If so, then
why? Surely he can’t be against the fire of the word of God separating the
wicked from the just. But as we already shown, Muslims don’t follow the one and
True God in the first place.
(4) Do they hate their
family members?
"If anyone comes to me and does not
hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes,
even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26)
* We know the
Bible strictly forbids getting drunk and prohibits drinking wine (Leviticus
10:9) Christianity is the cause of the social corruptions today, so how
many Christians hate their family members?
Response:
Ah,
the famous “hate” verse propagated by many laymen! Well this argument is about
as old as time itself. It doesn’t mean “hate” in the sense of the English word.
In order to find the true meaning we must turn to its Near Eastern content and
usage. Christian Apologist Glen Miller expounds on this excellently:
Several
points:
1.
When you say 'miseo' means
'hate', it is important to realize that language is just not that simple. When
I say "Compared to Lime Sherbet, I hate vanilla", most readers will
not know how I will respond to the question "would you like a scoop of
vanilla" on a hot day. In this example, hate does not have the intensity
or extension range that would be present in "I hate crimes against the
elderly." In other words, usage and context ALWAYS play a critical element
in understanding that a word means IN A SPECIFIC CASE. And all honest attempts
to understand a text-biblical, political, scientific, philosophical--must
begin with this understanding of the richness and flexibility of natural
language. All attempts to 'force' a word into a narrow range of meaning are
subject to the possibility of error.
2.
In this case, we have three data points that help us
determine the range/intensity of the word miseo:
3.
Semitic usage patterns of love/hate in bipolar
contexts;
The
Semitic mind of OT/NT would state relative comparisons as absolutes, and this
would even show up in the same passage. Cf. Genesis 29.30-31:
"Jacob
lay with Rachel also, and he loved Rachel
more than Leah (mem proposition)...When the LORD
saw that Lead was not loved (lit. hated)"
This
text shows that "hated" could mean IN CERTAIN CONTEXTS "love
less than"... (You also have a similar use of hate in Deut 21.15-17
wherein one wife is preferred over another and the word 'hate' is used of the
'less preferred'. In other words, the Semite reader would not make the harsh
and rigid conclusions that one from a western culture might.
2.
Semitic range of miseo
We
have extra-biblical data that argues that while miseo
to Greeks h has a more narrow word content, to Semites using miseo, the range was considerably wider, including the
sense of 'leaving aside', 'renunciation', or "abandonment' (cf. F.F.
Bruce, The Hard Sayings of Jesus,
Downers Grove: IVP, 1983, p.592.)
3.
the parallel passage in Matthew 10:37 using paraphrase
The
parallel account of this message is given in Matthew 10.37:
"Anyone
who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who
loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does
not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me."
When
Matthew paraphrases the words of Jesus in this passage, he makes sure that the
range and intent of the utterance in seen in its SEMITIC LIGHT. In other words,
he preserves less of the ambiguity of the original saying of Jesus in order to
make sure that the correct nuance is made explicit. In so doing, he shows us
the Semitic idea of 'lower preference' seems to be the correct meaning behind miseo in this passage. (Was
Jesus a Hate Monger: Source)
In
its Semitic usage, “hate” doesn’t literally mean hate someone you don’t like
but NOT TO LOVE THEM MORE THAN THE PERSON IN QUESTION. Hence Jesus is clearly
saying “You must love me more than anybody else”. Even God of the Quran requires that one must love him more than any human
person or agent. From the same link above this is verified:’
1.
TDNT: under miseo
(5.c): "Hatred in Discipleship. To be a true disciple one must hate all
others for Jesus' sake. This is NOT PSYCHOLOGICAL HATRED BUT A TOTAL COMMITMENT
THAT GIVES ABSOLUTE PRIORITY TO JESUS." (emphasis
mine)
2.
Exegetical Dictionary of the NT (xlation of EWNT, Eerdmans, 1993):
under miseo (vol. 2. p431) give the definition as 'hate,
despise, disregard' and in section 2.c address the passage under question:
"Jesus' commands to hate one's family and oneself for his sake (Luke
14.26) and not to love one's family more than him (Matt 10.37) amount to the
same thing: the decisive factor for discipleship with Jesus is to disregard all
else (cf. also Luke 9.59f)."
3.
See also the New International Dict. of NTT (Vol. 1.pp556)--the emphasis is on
priority, not animosity. (IBID)
Mr.
Smith doesn’t understand the usage so the error regarding “hate” is on his
part, not on Jesus’. This reminds us of the Muslim argument that we need to “Go
to the Arabic Quran.” Well in turn, I tell Mr. Smith,
“Go to the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek Bible.” Mr. Smith must welcome Jesus’
message as well as those who were sent by Jesus or he is to be eternally
condemned:
After this the
Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to
every town and place where he was about to go. HE TOLD THEM, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest
field. Go! I am sending YOU out like
lambs among wolves..."He who
LISTENS TO YOU LISTENS TO ME; he who REJECTS YOU REJECTS ME; but he who rejects
me REJECTS HIM WHO SENT ME." The seventy-two
returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your
name." Luke 10:1-3, 16-17
To reject Jesus is equivalent to rejecting God, therefore
how can a person make it to heaven by rejecting God? The only way to enter
God’s heavenly abode is by repenting of their rejection of Jesus by accepting
him as Lord and Savior. Jesus substantiates this conclusion in the passage
below:
Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had
him stand beside him. Then he said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in MY NAME welcomes me; and
WHOEVER WELCOMES ME WELCOMES THE ONE WHO SENT ME. For he who is least among you
all--he is the greatest." Luke 9:47-48
You
can't take Jesus out of the equation of salvation since the Bible everywhere
records him as saying, "accept me and you accept the one who sent
me", etc. If you welcome Jesus you welcome God. Hence, to love your family
and friends more than Jesus is, in effect, to love them more than God himself!
(5) Do they pray in the
manner of Jesus?
And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father,
if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but
as thou [wilt]. (Matthew 26:39)
*
Do Christians pray like Jesus? The answer is no. The
scripture above seems to imply that Christians are blind people who cannot
discern the fact with their own eyes that Jesus prayed in physical manner.
Other significant examples: