The Nugget:
Eph 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
My comment:
We must all learn to tell the difference between truth and error. The Bible is absolutely true. Those who do not believe the Bible are terribly mistaken in their belief system.
Once again I have participated in the “Islam and Christianity Debate Group.” We need to be in prayer as a matter of spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:10, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18) against the wiles of the devil. We need to earnestly contend for the faith (Jude 3). We need to learn the Bible well enough so that we can answer the challenges others might bring about the truth we believe (1 Peter 3:15).
The Issue:
The following was recently posted by a Muslim participant in the Islam and Christianity Debate Group:
March 13 at 4:50pm
I AM FILING A CASE TO THE FEDERAL HIGH COURT OF NIGERIA AGAINST PASTOR TB JOSHUA AND CO-PASTORS FOR SPEAKING LIE AGAINST JESUS CHRIST BY CALLING HIM GOD. In spite of the fact that there are more than five thousands tangible and incontrovertible evidences against the God Ship of Jesus in the Bible, I was completely aghast when I heard the so called prophet T B Joshua of Immanuel TV., who is one of the false prophets mentioned by Jesus Christ in Matthew 24 v 24 of the bible calling Jesus God in the presence of thousands of his audience among of which were professors, Doctors, Reverend Fathers and Mothers, pastors and Bishops tô mention but only a few, yet non of them could challenge TB Joshua debunking his puerile allegation against Jesus. As I was watching TB Joshua gesticulating with his professional style of sweets mouth public speaking through Immanuel TV as usual and his audience helplessly watching and listening to his accumulated lies and unfounded praise singing directed at Jesus, I almost cry with automatic alacrity when he said that Jesus is Almighty God. My conclusion was that both TB Joshua and other Christians actually read their bible without proper understanding of what they are reading. Any Christian who reads the bible and still called Jesus God should go back to nursery one to restudy his bible. For example, in Matthew 21 v 10 -11 Jesus is called a prophet of God, in Matthew 12 v 18 Jesus is called a servant of God, in Luke 4 v 18 Jesus said he was appointed by God as His messenger tô preach the gospel, in John 5 v 30 Jesus said he could do nothing by himself, in Mark 13 v 32 Jesus said he did not know the actual date when the last hour will come, in Mark 15 v 34 Jesus cried to God and called Him “MY GOD” in Mark 12 v 29 Jesus said that “”OUR GOD “”is Just one God, in Matthew 20 v 20-23 Jesus said he hás no power tô send even his brothers to heaven, in Matthew 23 v 9 Jesus warned his people not to call any person on earth as their God for only one God exist in heaven. There are millions of facts from the scriptures and other rational facts that authentically proved that Jesus does not hás even the least qualification of being God. In conclusion, I am ever ready to petition any Christian Hot gospeller like TB Joshua and others before any court of law for calling Jesus God and for deceiving and misguiding their innocent followers with their preposterous lies against Jesus Christ whose humanity is well spelt out in the bible. Let us meet in the court of Law and debate it out. Enough is Enough.
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My Response:
Jerome Smith I think you may need to reconsider your plan of action. You might very carefully study the answers I have already given here on this site about these very matters. Your knowledge and understanding of the Bible can be greatly enhanced if you get your information about what it means from someone such as myself. I have studied the Bible carefully since 1953. I have three scholarly reference works published about the Bible. My reference works are used and studied and highly commended by people from all over the world.
Jesus is directly called God in John 1:1.
Jesus is directly called God in John 20:28.
Jesus is directly called God in Titus 2:13.
Jesus is directly called God in 2 Peter 1:1.
Jesus is directly called God in 1 John 5:20.
God Himself directly calls Jesus God in Hebrews 1:8.
Steven the first recorded Christian martyr prayed to Jesus directly as God as recorded in Acts 7:59.
The Messiah is directly called the Almighty God in Messianic Prophecy in the Old Testament at Amos 4:13 in the Greek translation of the Old Testament generally called the Greek Septuagint or LXX. Amos 4:13 is alluded to or quoted at Revelation 1:8 and Revelation 4:8 where the name “Lord God Almighty” is used in reference to Jesus Christ where this title is taken from Amos 4:13.
The very beginning of the Gospel of Mark opens at Mark 1:2 with the statement, quoted from the prophets in the Old Testament, saying that Jesus Christ’s way would be prepared by John the Baptist, using the expression “Prepare ye the way of the Lord [Jehovah], make his paths straight,” thus directly identifying Jesus Christ as Jehovah. Jehovah is God, therefore Jesus is God.
These connections are obvious. Any Bible reader who fails to see them must be blind as a bat.
If you want a debate, let us have a debate. I was a champion debater in high school, and a champion debater in college. Bring it on. I invite and challenge you to try to do so. There is no way that you can win a debate on this subject against me.
When it comes to being deceived, it is most clear from the Bible that anyone who thinks they can come to God apart from Jesus Christ is most deceived for Jesus Christ declared no person can come to God the Father except through Him (John 14:6).
When it comes to being deceived, it is most clear from the Bible that anyone who does not give the Lord Jesus Christ the very exact same honor that they give to the Father is most mistaken and does not honor God the Father AT ALL. See John 5:23 and read my discussions here about what this verse must mean.
Like · Reply · 1 · March 13 at 10:05pm · Edited
Concluding Comment:
Missy Mercy responded by saying:
Uthman Muhammad Aboki you need to do your own homework and stop just repeating what others say and STOP PERSECUTING CHRISTIANS and/or anyone else. Where does Pastor T B Joshua make a false prophecy? He is preaching only The Gospel of Lord Jesus Christ from what I see!
I just entered into youtube the name of the pastor in question (prophet T B Joshua of Immanuel TV). He seems like a ligit pastor to me. So I think you and others like you just want to imprison and kill all who do not think the same as you do?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouByvPPoWWc
Uthman Muhammad Aboki responded: What a Miss of reasoning!
Missy Mercy responded, asking Uthman Muhammad Aboki to explain what he meant by that, commenting “We are not mind readers here. Thanks.”
Uthman Muhammad Aboki responded with a most interesting set of questions, which I shall present and answer in my next post.
Missy Mercy meanwhile made the following comment:
Uthman Muhammad Aboki why do you ignore Jerome Smith’s response above.. He clearly answered many of your questions!
As far as you concluding that Jesus could not be God because he did not know of the Judgement day. I am sure He did but Jesus came to earth to cleanse us of our sins so that we could enter into God’s kingdom. Some things like the Day of Judgment are purposefully kept secret because revealing such was not why Jesus came.
I think Missy Mercy did very well, and her answers continue but I will stop at this point.
It is imperative that we as Bible believing Christians know our Bibles well enough to accurately answer such questions as these that the Muslims raise. The pen is mightier than the sword. The fact that some Muslims are carefully reading the responses that the Christians have given is a very good thing. If they come to believe correctly upon the Lord Jesus Christ, we will see them in heaven. If they fail to believe what the Christians are teaching them from the Bible in response to the questions and challenges they raise, then on Judgment Day they will have to answer for why they did not believe the truth when it was carefully, even individually, presented to them.
It is very dangerous to be deceived. Jesus warned that if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!