Question: My Christian friends from the Philippines argue that (1) Jesus will return, whereas Muhammad will not; and (2) Jesus is with God (as the Son), asking why Muhammad died and did not ascend to heaven like Jesus did. They conclude that Jesus is the Son of God and is their God. How can I explain this to them?
– J. Abubacker, Jeddah.
Answer: They believe Jesus is the Son of God based on reasons such as his birth without a father and the belief that he is still alive today.
However, the Bible itself states that these characteristics applied to others besides Jesus.
The Bible asserts that certain attributes are essential to God, yet it also indicates that Jesus did not possess those specific attributes.
You should point out verses such as these:
Exodus 4:22, Psalm 2:7, 2 Samuel 7:14, Jeremiah 31:9, Psalm 68:5, Deuteronomy 14:1, Matthew 6:14–15, 5:9, 23:9, Luke 6:35, Acts 17:29, and Romans 8:16. These verses describe not only Jesus but also many others—and indeed all of humanity—as sons of God.
From this, one can understand the sense in which the term "Son" is being used. Verses such as Matthew 8:20, 9:6, 9:8, 16:13, 16:27, 17:12, 17:22, 19:28, 20:18, 20:28, 26:24, and 26:45 declare that Jesus is indeed the Son of Man.
Verses such as Luke 3:38, Genesis 2:21–22, and Hebrews 7:3–4 indicate that there were others who, like Jesus, were born without a father.
Verses such as Genesis 5:24, Hebrews 11:5, and 2 Kings 2:11 state that, just like Jesus, there are others who remain alive to this day.
Verses such as Ezekiel 28:9, Psalm 121:4, Matthew 3:13, 4:1, 4:12, 8:20, 8:24, 15:17, 17:27, 19:28, 23:33, 26:38, 26:67, 27:29, John 1:18, 8:59, 13:5, 19:28, Luke 2:21, 11:27, 24:38, 24:39, 24:40, 24:42, Mark 14:33, and 14:34—along with many others—state unequivocally that Jesus possessed no divine nature; rather, he possessed entirely human characteristics.
Furthermore, countless verses in the Bible state that Jesus was a servant of God and a messenger, but certainly not the Son. (We have written about this in detail in our publication titled ‘Is Jesus the Son of God?’ This book has also been published in English.)