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Rebuttal to Matt Slick's article
If Jesus is called the Son of God, do you think that makes him God?

By Sami Zaatari

http://www.carm.org/islam/obj_son_of_God.htm

He Wrote

Muslims often misunderstand the term "Son of God" to mean that God literally had sexual relations with Mary to produce Jesus. That is not what the term means, nor is it what the Bible teaches, and it is not what Christianity teaches. The term "Son of God" refers not to procreation, but to a special relationship that Jesus has with God the Father.
The phrase "Son of God" occurs 43 times in the New American Standard Bible and it refers to Jesus. The term is specifically designated as a title in Romans 1:4, "who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord." Notice that it says Jesus was declared the Son of God. This shows that it is a title and does not mean that he was begotten through sexual relations between God and Mary -- which is a blasphemous thing to claim.

 

My Response

Well, many Christians also did believe that Sexual relations did occur when Jesus was given birth. The reason being is because the language used to describe the birth of Jesus does seem to give the impression that it does, and there have been some who did believe it involved a sexual act.

He Wrote

Also, Jesus calls himself the Son in Mark 13:32, "But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone."1 And at Jesus' baptism, God speaks from heaven and says, "Thou art My beloved Son, in Thee I am well-pleased," (Mark. 1:11). Clearly, Jesus is said to be the Son of God by the scriptures, by the Father, and by himself.

 

My Response

That verse you posted proves Jesus isn't God, so thanks for clearing that up. Also many Christians have wrongly invented up their own meaning of what the Son of God means, Christians have claimed that being called the Son of God makes you God, as we shall shortly see the definition of Son of God does not mean you are God.

He Wrote

Here are a few verses worth noting:

·       John 1:49, "Nathanael answered Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel." 50 Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these."

·       Nathaniel calls Jesus the son of God and Jesus does not correct him. Jesus affirms Nathaniel's belief.

·       John 10:36-37, "do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me."

·       Jesus is affirming that he is the son of God.

·       John 11:3, "But when Jesus heard it, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it."

·       Jesus calls himself the Son of God.

·       John 19:7, "The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God."

·       The Jews understood that to claim to be the son of God was to claimed to be equal with God.

·       John 20:30, "but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name."

·       The apostle John wrote the gospel so that we might know and believe that Jesus is the son of God.

My Response

Yes, being the Son of God does not make you God. Here is the proof for you, since I already wrote an article dealing with this issue I will merely post some of that article:

Taken from http://answering-christianity.com/sami_zaatri/followers_of_yeshua.htm

THE MEANING OF THE SON OF GOD

Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_of_God

In the Tanakh In the Tanakh, the phrase "sons of god" has multiple meanings:

·       The Hebrew <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_language> phrase Benei Elohim, often translated as "The Sons of God", describes angels <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels>, demigods or immensely powerful human beings. See Genesis 6:2-4. Many Bible scholars believe that this is a reference to pre-Biblical near-eastern mythology.

·       It is used to denote a human judge or ruler (Ps. lxxxii. 6, "children of the Most High"; in many passages "gods" and "judges" seem to be equations); and to the real or ideal king over Israel (II Sam. vii. 14, with reference to David and his dynasty; comp. Ps. lxxxix. 27, 28).

·       The phrases "sons of God" and "children of God" are applied to Israel as a people (comp. Ex. iv. 22 and Hos. xi. 1), the Jewish people, and also to all members of the human race.

In the Tanakh <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanakh> the term does not connote any form of physical descent from, or essential unity with, God. The Hebrew idiom conveys an expression of godlikeness (see Godliness <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Godliness&action=edit>).

In Judaism <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism> the term "son of God" is rarely used in the sense of "messiah <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messiah>."

Read the entire article for more information regarding this issue. Anyway, as just saw, being called the Son of God does not make you God, that is the fallacy on the part of Christians.

He Wrote

Son of God and Son of Man

Some say that the term son of God does not mean that Jesus is God. We must ask than does the term Son of Man mean that Jesus is not a man? Likewise, if the term son of man means that Jesus is a man, and does it not imply that the term son of God means that Jesus is God?

My Response

Yes, I say that Son of God does not make you God, that is what the definitions say. Again go to this link which prove it:

 http://answering-christianity.com/sami_zaatri/followers_of_yeshua.htm 

In asking his question, Matt commits a fallacy. Matt assumes that if your called son of man then you are a men, then likewise if you are called son of God it makes you a God. This is a fallacy on his part, the reason being is because Jesus was not the only one who was refered to as the Son or Son's of God. Many others in the Bible were called the son's of God and children of God, so does that make all those people God? So do we have a bunch of God's now?

In the Tanakh In the Tanakh, the phrase "sons of god" has multiple meanings:

·       The Hebrew <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_language> phrase Benei Elohim, often translated as "The Sons of God", describes angels <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels>, demigods or immensely powerful human beings. See Genesis 6:2-4. Many Bible scholars believe that this is a reference to pre-Biblical near-eastern mythology.

·       It is used to denote a human judge or ruler (Ps. lxxxii. 6, "children of the Most High"; in many passages "gods" and "judges" seem to be equations); and to the real or ideal king over Israel (II Sam. vii. 14, with reference to David and his dynasty; comp. Ps. lxxxix. 27, 28).

·       The phrases "sons of God" and "children of God" are applied to Israel as a people (comp. Ex. iv. 22 and Hos. xi. 1), the Jewish people, and also to all members of the human race.

So being called the Son of God is nothing unique or special since it was already being used by the people. So does that make them Gods? I dont think so.

He Wrote

John 5:18, "Calling God his own Father"

"For this cause therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God,"

Jesus is the Son of God and and He calls God His own Father. So, the problem is in understanding what the phrase Son of God means. Apparently, in the biblical culture it means to be equal with God, as John the Apostle stated. See John 5:18, "..making Himself equal to God" <../jw/John5_18.htm> for more information on this verse.

1. See If Jesus is God, then why did He not know the time of His return? <../questions/Jesus_know.htm> for an answer to the question thus stated.

My Response

Actually, correction, in the Biblical culture being called the Son of God does not make you equal with God since others were called sons of God and children of God in the Biblical times.

Secondly, Jesus calling God his Father, or own Father does not mean much. What Matt Slick and every other Christian forgets to mention is that Jesus called God the Father of his people to, so when Jesus reffered to God as my Father he was doing this when he was adressing himself, it is common self if you are adressing yourself you will say my Father, or my house etc. When Jesus adressed other people he calls God their Father:

Mat 5:48  Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Mat 6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Mat 6:4  That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

Mat 6:9  After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Mat 7:11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Mar 11:25  And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

Mar 11:26

 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

Luk 6:36  Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

So as you can see, when Jesus adressed other people he would call God their Father as well. So hence if one of those people were alone, they could adress God as their Father and say MY Father in Heaven. Would that mean that the people are equal with God? Certainly not!

http://answering-christianity.com/sami_zaatri/rebuttaltosamshamoun5_1.htm

http://answering-christianity.com/sami_zaatri/rebuttaltosamshamoun8.htm

Rebuttals, and exposing the lies of the Answering Islam team section.

Rebuttals to Carm.org's articles section.

Sami Zaatari's Rebuttals section.

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