Page 169 - Prophet Jesus (Pbuh): A Prophet Not A Son, Of God

HARUN YAHYA 167

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:36)
Clearly, the authors of the New Testament use Father to refer to the
essence of God. It is no more than a sign of respect that applies to all peo-
ple, rather than giving one particular person divine status. The term does
not merely express a special bond between God and Prophet Jesus

(pbuh), but is addressed to everyone who has submitted to God and lives
the kind of life that meets with His approval. Indeed, even today many
Christians begin their prayers with Our Father. Similar prayers of
Prophet Jesus (pbuh), recorded in the New Testament, should not be in-
terpreted any differently. Once again, we need to emphasize that these
statements do not eliminate the errors of those who use the term Father to
ascribe divine status to Prophet Jesus (pbuh). They are committing a
grave sin in the sight of God, and verses of the Qur'an describe their situ-

ation as follows:
Those who say that the Messiah, son of Mary, is God are unbelievers.
The Messiah said: "O O Tribe of Israel. Worship God, my Lord and your
Lord. If anyone associates anything with God, God haas forbidden him
the Garden and his refuge will be the Fire." The wrongdoers will have no
helpers. (S Surat al-Ma'ida: 72)

Our Lord's infinite might and power, and the fact that He is unsul-
lied by any imperfection, are clearly emphasized in the Bible. John Hick
sets this out in an interview:
Classic Christian theology developed a long time after the death of
Prophet Jesus. Contemporary historical criticism of the New
Testament seeks to enlighten us as to which of the words ascribed to
Prophet Jesus in the New Testament texts in our possession may re-
ally have been spoken by him … It is impossible to interpret the
term "Father" (in the Gospels) literally. The expression "the son of
God" appears many times in the Old Testament. For example, Adam
is the son of God; the angels are the sons of God; the kings of Israel
are the sons of God and the nation of Israel, as a whole, is also the