Lesson 7 – Son of God - Bridges To Common Ground

Jesus - The Son of God?

Muslim: Jesus is NOT the "son" of God

Christian: Jesus is the "son" of God

But do we actually agree?!

How Is "Son" Used In The Bible?

“Son” used in the Bible is not always biological. Often metaphorical, holding other meanings.

Jesus was “the son of man” or a human.

Jesus was the “son of David”, in terms of lineage

Jesus called a paralyzed man “son”, cultural

Paul called some Jews “sons of Abraham” and;

In Paul’s letter to Philemon the notion of being “begotten”(Aramaic yld) often means something other than physically conceived.

“I beseech you on behalf of my (spiritual) son Onesi-mus, whom I begotten (yld) (really means "brought to the faith") during my imprisonment… And you receive him, as one begotten (yld) by me.” Philemon 1:10

Benjamin means “son of my (God’s) right hand”, figurative

"Son(s) of God" typically refer to those with special relationships (not biological) with God, as with:

Angels

Kings of Israel

Adam

Paul called followers of Jesus

Jesus called peacemakers
Jesus Himself

Conclusion: The title "son" or "son of God" can be physical, spiritual or a metaphorical.

"Begotten" & Jesus

Bible & “begotten:”

New Testament clearly states 15 times (Jesus was begotten)

Qur’an & “begotten:”

23 times, the Qur'an makes it clear that Allah does not, and would not physically “beget” a child. In fact, it states unequivocally, at least 11 times that Jesus/Isa was NOT begotten (in the physical / sexual sense).

Examples:

“He begetteth not, nor is He begotten.” Sura 112:3

“For it is not consonant with the majesty of (Allah) Most Gracious that He should beget a son.” Sura 19:92

Do We Actually Agree?

Jesus' Supernatural Conception?

The Issue is how Jesus was conceived:

Christians say - Jesus is the “only begotten son of God.”
Muslims disagree with this statement and insist that Jesus was NOT "begotten"
Is it possible for Christians & Muslims to agree with this seemingly divisive issue?
The Qur'an uses the root Arabic word; yld or walada when it say Jesus was "not begotten" -

What Does The "Son of God" Mean To Christians?

The Bible:

God breathed his Holy Spirit into a virgin named Mary who birthed Jesus (Matt. 1:18)

He is the word of God (John 1:1 & 14).

The Spirit of God (Matt 1:18).
Was sent down from Heaven (John 6:38)
The Messiah (John 20:31)
Jesus is the second Adam.. because neither was "begotten" with a father. (1 Cor 15:45).

Conclusion: Jesus is a supernatural "son" NOT a physical "son" and is uniquely made by God.

What Does The Qur'an Say About Conception Of Jesus?

The Qur’an:

Qur’an: God breathed His Holy Spirit into a virgin named Mary who birthed Jesus (3:47, 19:17-21, 21:91, 66:12).

He is the word of God (3:39, 3:45, 4:171),

The Spirit of God (19:17, 21:91, 66:12, 4:171).
Was sent down from heaven (3:53)
The Messiah (3:45, 4:157, 4:171, 4:172, 5:17).
The second Adam (3:59).

Conclusion: Jesus is a supernatural offspring or "son" NOT a physical "Son" and is uniquely made by God.

A Deadly Misunderstanding With The Word "Begotten"?

The history of this concept:

Greek & Roman mythology, gods routinely had sexual intercourse with human women.
In Genesis the "sons of god" or fallen angels had sex with women to produce an abomination or forbidden rebellion against God known as the nephilim.

Muslims think that God fathering a child through carnal (physical/sexual) relations with a women is heresy, blasphemy, & disgusting...but
So do Christians as they do NOT believe God had sex with Mary.

Who Cares?!

What Difference Does It Make?!

The difference is Blasphemy:

Muslims no longer think of Christians as heretical; God did NOT have sex with Mary.
Christians no longer differ with Muslims about the unique spiritual "sonship" of Jesus.

One Word Changes Everything

The Only "Begotten"...Key?

In Biblical Aramaic there are several forms of “begetting” used exclusively for Jesus.

These are different from how ALL other humans are begotten (conceived).

yld = an Aramaic word that describes the "active" male act of sexual begetting and impregnation. It is used 41 times in Matthew 1 describing the linage of Jesus. However in Matthew 1:16 when Jesus is mentioned, yld changes to a "passive" form of Aramaic; ettled. Moreover, ettled is followed with a feminine pronoun d'menah pointing back to Mary. This standout Aramaic grammar structure exceptions clearly indicates there was no male involved or physical "begetting" of Jesus. (Is this not what Muslims believe?)
yachidaya is an Aramaic word that means “only one,” “alone,” or “unique.” “For God so love the world He gave His (unique, one of a kind, supernaturally conceived) son…”John 3:16
Luke 1:31 "For behold, you will conceive and "beget" (Aramaic; wt'ied'iyn) a son, and you will call his name Jesus." wt'ied'iyn is feminine and reinforces Matthew 1:16 passive & feminine grammar construct that Jesus was not physically "begotten".

Zechariah 12:10 also uses the Hebrew cognate for yiHiyd,aya for prophesying the uniqueness of the coming Messiah.

Why Is This important? It means that both the Bible and the Qur'an agree that there was no male act involved in the “begetting” of Jesus.

More Conclusive Evidence?

Scriptures dealing with Jesus being uniquely “begotten:”

Bible - “Then Mary said to the angel, How can this be, for no man has known me. The angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit (Aramaic: Rohka Alaha) will come, and the power of the Highest will rest upon you; therefore, the one who is to be born of you is holy, and he will be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:34-35

Bible (God’s command) - The Qu’ran and the Bible describes how God causes things to come into being simply by uttering the command, “And God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. Genesis 1:3

Quran - She (Mary) said: “O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man hath touched me?” He said, “Even so; Allah createth what He willeth: when He hath decreed a plan, He but saith to it, ‘Be’ and it is!” Sura 3:47

Quran (God’s command) “Be! And it is” describes the way Allah causes things to occur simply by His command.

Conclusion: Jesus is uniquely and supernaturally made by God according to both the Qur'an and the Bible.

Conclusion

All 3 Semitic languages are saying the same thing about how Jesus was conceived:

Jesus/Isa was NOT conceived through sexual intercourse and no human male was involved.
But Jesus WAS conceived uniquely & through an exclusively female process (Mary & the Holy Spirit).

We Can Agree:

Can Muslims & Christians now agree about Jesus as the "Son of God" - a unique and spiritually generated conception?

NO SEXUAL CONTACT rather Jesus was simply conceived by the power of God's command.
According to the Bible & the Qur'an Jesus was spoken into existence by the Spirit of God through the virgin Mary.

Jesus - The Supernatural "Son" of God:

Can Christians agree with the Qur'ans clarification about the son-ship of Jesus?
Can Muslims agree that Jesus is the Supernatural "Son" of God?
The Qur'an uses the word yld when it say Jesus was "not begotten" - this means that Jesus was NOT conceived sexually by Allah.