Home > Module 3: The Son of God vs. Isa
In Islamic thought, the Islamic Jesus (Isa) is a highly respected but purely human prophet—created from dust like Adam. However, in the New Testament, Jesus is revealed as the Uncreated Creator. There are three "Pillar Passages" that leave no room for Jesus believing He was merely a man.
In Islamic theology, Jesus is called the Kalimatullah (Word of Allah). This provides a natural bridge to the Gospel of John, which explains the nature of that Word.
The Gospel of John begins not with a birth story, but with eternity.
John 1:1-3: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made."
The Quran says differently despite coming 600 years later.
Surah 3:59: "Indeed, the example of Jesus to Allah is like that of Adam. He created Him from dust; then He said to him, 'Be,' and he was."
Eternal Pre-existence:
The phrase "In the beginning was" (Greek: ēn) implies that when time began, the Word already existed. He did not come into being; He simply was.
The Creator, Not Created:
John 1:3 explicitly states that "through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made."
If "nothing" was made without Him, Jesus cannot be a "made" (created) being. If He is not a creature, He must be the Creator.
While the Quran compares Jesus to Adam (created from dust), the Bible places Jesus before the dust, as the Agent who created it.
Table: The Nature of the Word
| Phrase | Theological Meaning | Refutation of Objection |
|---|---|---|
| "In the beginning..." | The Word is eternal; He has no starting point. | Jesus was not "created" later in time. |
| "With God..." | The Word is a distinct Person from the Father. | Disproves "Modalism" (that God just changes masks). |
| "Was God..." | The Word shares the exact same essence as God. | Disproves that Jesus is a "lesser" god or angel. |
| "All things made through him" | Jesus is the Agent of Creation. | A mere creature cannot create the universe. |
This passage is one of the most robust "Christological Hymns" in Scripture. It establishes Jesus’ supremacy over both the physical and spiritual realms.
Colossians 1:15-20: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth... all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."
The Quran in contrast gives a confused message that doesn't reflect any Christian understanding of the Trinity including Mary.
Surah 5:72: They have certainly disbelieved who say, 'Allah is the Messiah, the son of Mary' while the Messiah has said, 'O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.'
The "Icon" of God:
Jesus is called the "image (eikon) of the invisible God." He makes the invisible Father visible to us. He is not just a messenger from God; He is the one who sustains the universe. If He "holds all things together," He cannot be a dependent creature.
The Firstborn (Prototokos):
Muslims often stumble here, thinking "Firstborn" means "first created." In Hebrew and Greek culture, however, Prototokos refers to rank and inheritance, not chronological birth. It means He is the Supreme Heir over all creation.
The Fullness:
"For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him." Not a "portion" of God’s power, but His entire essence.
Table: Christ’s Relationship to Creation
| Attribute | Colossians 1 Description | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | "By him all things were created." | Jesus is the source, not a product, of creation. |
| Sustainer | "In him all things hold together." | The universe’s laws depend on His power. |
| Fullness | "In him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell." | He is not "part" God; He is fully God. |
| Reconciler | "Making peace by the blood of his cross." | His divinity makes His sacrifice infinitely valuable. |
The book of Hebrews was written to explain to people of a strictly monotheistic background (Jews) why Jesus is worthy of worship. He argues that while God spoke through prophets in the past, His final and "brightest" word is His Son.
Hebrews 1:3: "The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word."
Surah 19:30: "[Jesus] said, 'Indeed, I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet.'"
Just as you cannot separate the sun from its brightness, you cannot separate the Father from the Son. The "radiance" is not a separate thing from the "source"; it is the source making itself felt.
This table highlights why the Islamic Isa and the Christian Christ are NOT the same person. While they share a name and several miraculous events (such as the virgin birth), their nature, purpose, and ultimate fate are fundamentally different.
| Feature | The Islamic Isa | The Biblical Christ |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Created from dust (Surah 3:59) | Uncreated, Eternal (John 1:1) |
| Nature | Slave/Messenger (Abd) | Son/Sovereign (Huios) |
| Role in Creation | A bystander to creation | The Agent of creation (Col. 1:16) |
| Authority | Given limited signs by Allah | Sustains the universe (Heb. 1:3) |
| Finality | Points forward to Ahmad/Muhammad | The Final Word of God (Heb. 1:2) |
To demonstrate continuity, we show that titles reserved exclusively for God in the Old Testament and the Quran are applied to Jesus in the New Testament.
Table: Titles of Deity
| Title | OT/Quran Reference (God) | NT Reference (Jesus) |
|---|---|---|
| The First and the Last | Isaiah 44:6 / Surah 57:3 | Revelation, 1:17–18 |
| The "I AM" | Exodus 3:14 | John 8:58 |
| The Creator | Genesis 1:1 / Surah 13:16 | John, 1:3 / Colossians 1:16 |
| The Judge | Joel 3:12 / Surah 1:4 | 2 Timothy, 4:1 / John 5:22 |
| The Savior | Isaiah 43:11 | Titus 2:13 |
What the Quran says about Jesus contradicts other parts of the Quran and indicates that Jesus is actually no ordinary prophet and greater than ANY other!
Surah 3:47: She said: My Lord! How can I have a child when no mortal hath touched me? He said: So (it will be). Allah createth what He will. If He decreeth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is."
Surah 3:45: When the angels said: O Mary! Lo! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him, whose name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, illustrious in the world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near (unto Allah).
Surah 4:171: ...Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of Allah, and His word which He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him...
Surah 3:49: ...I fashion for you out of clay the likeness of a bird, and I breathe into it and it is a bird, by Allah's leave...
NOTE: This specific story is NOT in the Bible but taken from the Infancy Gospel of Thomas 2:1–5 which was widely rejected by the Church. In this account, a five-year-old Jesus makes a birds from clay come to life. It comes mid-2nd Century CE. This is 100 years AFTER the accepted Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and is used in the Quran some 450 years later as inspired.
Surah 4:158: But Allah took him up unto Himself. Allah was ever Mighty, Wise.
Surah 43:61: And lo! verily there is knowledge of the Hour. So doubt ye not concerning it, but follow Me. This is the right path.
Surah 19:19: He said: I am only a messenger of thy Lord, that I may bestow on thee a faultless son.
While other prophets are called "righteous" (Salih), Jesus is the only one described at birth as Zakiyya (pure/sinless) by a divine messenger.
Jesus is referred to as Al-Masih (The Messiah) 11 times across 9 different verses. Interestingly, while the Quran uses the title prominently, it does not explicitly define what the word "Messiah" means.
Surah 3:45: "When the angels said, 'O Mary, indeed Allah gives you good tidings of a word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary—distinguished in this world and the Hereafter...'"
The narrative is similar to the Gospel account in Luke.
Luke 1:31-32: "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High..."
In both texts, an angel appears to Mary to announce the birth of a son and specifically provides his name and title before he is conceived.
If the Quran calls Jesus the Messiah, but provides no definition for the term, and the Gospel provides the full job description (King, Priest, Savior), isn't the Quran pointing us back to the Gospel to understand who Jesus truly is?
Even the Quran has residual evidence that Jesus is greater than any prophet - including Muhammad.
Ihe Bible (Hebrews 1:6): God says of Jesus, "Let all God's angels worship him."
In Islam, Shirk (associating partners with God) is the greatest sin.
If Jesus were merely a creature (like an angel), God commanding angels to worship Him would be a command to commit Shirk.
Therefore, if the Bible is true, the only reason angels can worship Jesus is that Jesus is God.
If Jesus is just a prophet, the New Testament writers were the most successful "mushrikeen" (polytheists) in history.
However, if their eyewitness testimony is true, then Jesus is the visible manifestation of the invisible God.
You cannot accept Jesus as a "good prophet" while rejecting His claim to be God—because a prophet who lies about being God is not a "good prophet."
Muslim Objection:
Jesus never said the words 'I am God, worship me.'
Christian Response:
In 1st-century Jewish culture, claiming the titles Jesus claimed was actually stronger than those specific words. When Jesus said, 'Before Abraham was, I AM,' he used the divine name of God from Exodus. The Jews didn't pick up stones to kill him because he was a 'good prophet'; they tried to kill him for blasphemy because he was 'making himself equal with God' (John 5:18). He didn't have to use a specific sentence for everyone to know exactly who he was claiming to be."
Muslim Objection:
How Can God be in two places at once? If Jesus is God, who was running the universe when he was a baby or when he was sleeping?
Christian Response:
This is where the distinction of 'Persons' in the Trinity is vital. The Father did not stop being God when the Son became man. The Son 'emptied himself' of his heavenly glory to take on human flesh, but his divine nature remained. Even while sleeping as a man, as the eternal Word, he continued to sustain the universe with the Father and the Spirit. He didn't 'stop' being God; he simply added 'humanity' to his divinity.
Muslim Objection:
Jesus said 'The Father is greater than I' (John 14:28).
Christian Response:
This refers to Jesus’ office and humanity, not His nature. On earth, Jesus took the "form of a servant" (Philippians 2:7). A Prime Minister is "lesser" in rank than a King, but they are both equally human in nature. Jesus was submitting to the Father’s will for the mission of salvation, while remaining equal in divine essence.
Muslim Objection:
How can God have a Son? Does He have a wife?"
Christian Response:
Christians reject the idea of biological sonship (which the Quran condemns in Surah 6:101). We mean Metaphysical Sonship. Just as "Son of the Road" is an Arabic idiom for a traveler, "Son of God" is a title for the One who shares God's nature and comes from God.