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God is
infinite. Matter is finite. God could not become a man.
Muslims deny
that Jesus could be God in flesh. They affirm that He was a
great prophet, but they clearly deny His divinity. One of the
reasons is Muslims are taught that God is infinite and that He could not
become a finite man. In other words, the infinite God cannot become
finite man. They say it doesn't make sense. One Muslim asked
me how God who is dependent on nothing, can then become dependent as a
man. He said that by definition God is not dependent upon anyone,
therefore to become dependent is impossible. Another said that if
God became a man, he could not then become a god again because a man
cannot become a god.
These questions reveal how Muslims think.
They have such a strict idea about God, that they cannot admit the
possibility of Him (or part of Him) becoming a man. Any idea of an incarnation
becomes ludicrous to them. They claim that it isn't logical.
Muslims are also taught that the Bible is
corrupted and that only the Qur'an is perfect. So, to quote from the
Bible makes little impact on them. Many Muslims have required
logical proofs for the theory of the incarnation instead of biblical
references. I attempt to oblige them here.
The following outline is designed to answer the
objections raised by Muslims. In "Premise one," the
objections are in bold. The answers to them follow.
Premise one:
According to Islam, God can do anything.
If this is so, then it necessarily follows
that if God can do anything, then he can become a man since that
possibility falls under the scope of "God can do anything."
- This would mean that God stopped
being God.
- Since God can do anything,
according to the premise above, then God could do this without
stopping being God. See part "b." in next
objection.
- If God, in some way, became a man,
it does not necessitate that He stop being divine. He could
simple add to Himself human nature.
- This would mean that the infinite
God became finite.
- Not if a "part" of God
entered into a human form. The totality of God could still
exist, yet a localized "part" could take the form of a man.
- Is not the Qur'an the word of
Allah? Is not His word a reflection of His character since it proceeds from Him? Is not
the infinite word of Allah made to become knowable, readable in a
physical form for us to
understand? Since this is so, why cannot the Word of God
become flesh -- as the Bible says? Why cannot a
representation of God (His word) take a physical form (Qur'an) or
even a human form (Jesus) -- since
God can do anything?
- This would mean that the
independent became dependent.
- It would not necessitate that the
totality of God became dependent, per point "b." above:
a part of God could become man.
- God can choose to become
dependent, in part, as a man. He can make that choice, can
he not?
- This would mean that the eternal
became temporal.
- Again, by premise one, God could
do it since He can do all things.
- If God, in some way, became a man by adding human nature to
Himself, it would not necessitate that God stop being eternal
since His divine nature would be, by nature, eternal as it is
retained within the human form.
- If God became man, then he could
not become God again.
- If only a "part" of God
became man, then God would never have ceased being God and the
objection is moot.
- If God can do all things, then a
part of Him can become a man and retain His divine nature and
never have stopped being God at all.
- Why would God need to become a man?
Showing He has a need means he is dependent.
- It is not a need. It is a
choice. God is not compelled to do anything -- except be
Himself. If He chose to become a man, it would be by His
desire, not by His need.
- If God can do anything, then He
can choose to share in the dependency of a human and not deny his
own nature of being God.
Premise two: God cannot do anything, because He cannot do anything that
conflicts with His nature. Becoming a man conflicts with His nature.
- To say God's nature does not permit
Him, in some way, to become a man
requires that the Muslim establish those aspects of God's nature that
negate the possibility of an incarnation, otherwise it is only the
Muslim's opinion.
- God's nature has to do with
essential character and essence of His being like holiness, love,
compassion, goodness, patience, etc.
- There is nothing in holiness,
love, compassion, goodness, patience, etc., that would mean
God could not become a man.
- God's attributes are inherent
characteristics like eternality, infinity, invisibility,
omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, speech, creativity, etc.
- None of the above attributes
negate the possibility of a part of God becoming man.
- The essential nature of something is not
changed if a part of it adds humanity.
Premise
Three: God's nature can be partially seen in His creation.
As a painter reveals part of himself, his style,
what he is, etc., in his painting, so too, God has revealed part of
Himself, His style, and what He is in His creation.
- The universe is ordered; therefore,
God is a God of order.
- The universe operates on laws;
therefore, God is a God of law.
- The universe has a beginning;
therefore, God is the creator.
- The universe is immense (functionally
infinite); therefore, God is infinite.
- The universe is comprised of three
primary aspects: Space, Time, and Matter.
- Space is comprised of height,
width, and depth - a trinity - but each aspect is by nature space.
- Time is comprised of past,
present, and future - a trinity - but each aspect is by nature
time.
- Matter is comprised of solid,
liquid, and gas - a trinity - but each aspect is by nature matter.
- Therefore, we can conclude
from looking at the universe, and God as its creation, that it is possible
for God to have a trinitarian aspect to His
nature.
- If it is fair to say that God may
indeed be trinitarian in some aspect of His nature,
- then God could be a plurality and all aspects of this
plurality, being of God, would be divine by nature.
- Since God is self-aware, has a will,
can speak, etc., then it follows that the plural aspects of God would share,
in some way, those
same qualities.
- If this is possible, then why cannot
part of God, since God is a plurality, become a man and add human nature to itself?
There is no
logical reason to declare the impossibility of God being trinitarian or
that He, in some way, could become a man.
The Bible has declared that God is indeed a Trinity
and that Jesus is both God and man (John 1:1, 14;
Col. 2:9; etc.).
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