BIBLICAL ANSWERS FOR CONTEMPORARY QUESTIONS

Biblical Answers for contemporary questions

 

__________________

 

by

Nathan Awad Awad

September 26, 2019

 

 

 

  My ministry in Nashville is among Muslims and Coptic Orthodox. Since I was born in Egypt and grew up there. I knew their way of thinking about Christianity. In all my educational stages in Egypt I had Muslim friends and Coptic friends, and we had talked about religion often. I knew about Islam from the school subjects like Arabic language that we studied, and all students including Christians had to study Quran verses and memorize them sometimes in order to pass this subject. Muslims believe in Quran and everything in it. Muslims believe in Muhammad as the last messenger who came after Christ. Also, they claim that they believe in all prophets like Moses, Isa (Jesus), and Muhammad. Christian Believers in my small town are very few. Those who can share the Gospel with non-believers are fewer. Coptic believe in the same bible we have including the Apocrypha books Also. However; they believe that any person has to have a saint as a mediator between him and God to pray for him/her for help before the Lord. Rituals are a big deal in the Coptic churches, and they don’t believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven. They believe that a person has to perform well through his/her good works to obtain the salvation. They consider assurance of salvation is a human pride.

  Before I moved to the United States, I had to deal with these kinds of thoughts, and find answers to share the Gospel with non-believers Muslims and Coptic. My father was my first apologetics school. Even though it’s forbidden to share the Gospel with a Muslim in Egypt, my father shared the Gospel with no fear. I had the chance to see him doing that and praying with Muslims leading them to the Lord. Today, I live in Nashville TN which includes a great number of Arabs, and State’s Rank by Arab American Population the 16th among all the 50 states[1]. The largest number of new Arab immigrants to Tennessee came from Egypt, Iraq and Sudan.

   The Lord cared about them and came from heaven to save them on the cross. I believe in Jesus as the only way to God, and He is the only way to the heaven. I spoke with four non-believers about Jesus, and here is the summary of these conversations. I have identified apologetic questions that I will be dealing with throughout these conversations.

1- Is not the Quran enough, since the Quran tells us about all the prophets? 

  Abulkader is a Muslim man from Syria. He came to the U.S as a refugee in 2017. Since his arrival to Nashville, I and my wife cared about Abdulkader’s family. As any new family comes to the U.S they needed Furniture and kitchen supplies, and we helped them with these things. We brought food to them, and sometimes we ate with them. I had to pray to bless the food before we ate. They respected that. I invited them to the church for the Sunday service and they accepted the invitation. They often came to the church. Unfortunately, they had marriage issues. They invited my wife and I to resolve their problems which came from misunderstanding one another. We did our best, and I was happy at this point for involving us in their life. Things went worst and they’re preceding divorce process.

  Recently, I invited Abdulkader at a restaurant to talk with him about Jesus again. He knows that I love him, and I care about him. First, I told him that I may not be able to solve his marriage issues, but I may give him something can help him to resolve his entire life. I told him that the real peace is not in kids, wife, or possessions. The real peace is a person, and that person is Jesus. Then he said “Peace be upon him” I had an Arabic Bible with me that I brought with me to give it to him. I opened the Bible on the prophecy of Isaiah 9: 6 “For a child is born to us, A son is given to us; And the government Is upon His shoulder; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” I told him that Jesus is not only that peace we are looking for, but He is the Prince of peace. That prophecy was about 700 years before Christ came. Jesus owns the peace, and He would give that peace to whoever asks for it.

      Then, Abdulkader said “We had Jesus story in the Quran, and that’s all we need because the Quran has all the prophets’ stories” I asked him “If I want to know about the Syrian history, should I go to Egypt and find an Egyptian book about Syria, or I should go to Syria to buy a book from Syria form a Syrian historian wrote about his own country?”  He said “you should get the history of Syria from Syria not from Egypt” I said to him “If you want to read about Jesus, you should read Jesus’ book which is this book” and he said “Yes, yes.” Then, I opened the Bible again on John 14: 27 and I read “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” I said to him that Jesus is the right person to go to ask for peace, and that peace is for here on earth and for his eternal life. Jesus is able to give him peace with his family and with God as well. I had a Gospel tract talked about what the Quran says about Jesus. I gave it to him and gave him the Bible also.

 I said to him an Islamic say when a Muslim presents a gift while the receiver is hesitant to have it “The prophet accepted the gift” Abulkader accepted the Bible and the Gospel tract. Before I left him, I asked him if I can pray for him, and he said “Yes” I prayed for his marriage and I prayed for peace with God.

2- If Jesus is from God, why would God let Him crucify?

  Ahmed is another Muslim friend of mine that I knew him from Egypt. When Ahmed came to Nashville, he didn’t know anyone except me. He needed a place to stay in, and I found a place for him. Ahmed and I are powerlifters, and we met usually in powerlifting competitions. When he arrived at Nashville, he needed a ride to the gym at least twice a week. I took him to the gym, and he encouraged me to compete again after a long time of quitting. A year later, He met his wife Holly and they got married. Before they decided to marry, they invited me for dinner at a restaurant to ask me about my impression for a Muslim guy married a Christian girl. I knew that neither one of them is a believer, so to me there was no problem. They got married and invited me in the wedding, but I never had the chance to talk to Ahmed or to Holly about Jesus. Sharing the Gospel with a stranger Muslim person is extremely easier than a Muslim friend, because I could easily lose him as a friend after the conversation. Recently I invited Ahmed and Holly to come to my house. We sat and talked life and differences between Egypt and the U.S. Holly went to an institute to learn Arabic, so she spoke a couple of Arabic words, and she felt that she accomplished something great. Then we talked about how fasting Ramadan is hard in the summer, all day no food nor drinks. The Lord gave me courage to open a conversation with him. I asked him “Why do you fast Ramadan?” he said, “For God to forgive my sins”. Sara my wife brought some tea, so we can drink while we’re talking.

  I translated the conversation to English, so I involve Holly in the conversation. I asked Ahmed and Holly “Do you know how many sins that Adam and Eve had to sin to be casted from the Garden of Eden?” they said, “only one.” Then, I said “So if you only sin once you will not go to heaven, right?” Ahmed said, “But God is merciful” and I said, “But He is just, and He drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden because of only one sin, why didn’t he show His mercy to them.” They didn’t have an answer. I said “It’s a big issue. It is not easy to understand that God is Just and merciful at the same time. The Bible tells us the wage of sin is death, and this is God’s law, so he had to practice his Justice. But he also loved us as his creatures.”

I asked Ahmed why do Muslims celebrate Eid al- Adha? (Muslim celebrate Eid al- Adha by killing a lamb) Ahmed said, “Because our master Abraham did the same thing.” I said “I remember this story. God asked Abraham to kill his son and God found Abraham faithful and obedient, so why did God provide a ram for Abraham to kill? God could say to Abraham “You are a great man take your son and go home,” But God didn’t say that. He had Abraham to kill a ram. Do you know why? Simply, because Abraham’s son had to be killed, and that was God’s command. Because God loved Abraham’s son, God decided to redeem him by a sacrifice”

     I explained to Ahmed and Holly that killing the ram was a symbolic scene for what would be on the cross. Also, I talked to them about the sacrificial system that is not mentioned in the Quran.  All these sacrifices for these hundreds of years were symbolic for Jesus and his crucifixion. I said to them “Jesus came to earth not to teach us new doctrines or commandments, but to show us God’s love and mercy”

3- God is so holy and we are sinners, so why can’t we have the saints to help us to come closer to God?

  Beshoy Also is a friend of mine, Beshoy is a Coptic Egyptian. I gave him a ride from his work in Bowling Green KY to his house in Nashville, TN. He knows that I am a Baptist pastor. He said, “I have some questions for you” I said “Sure, go ahead.” He said “why don’t you believe in intercession?” I said, “I do believe in intercession” Beshoy replied “No, I meant the saints intercession.” Then, I told him “Do you know how many times the Bible has talked about this word?” He said no” I said “the bible mentioned 6 times about intercession Once in the Old Testament and 5 others in the New Testament. Let’s read them and find out who can be an intercessor for us before God.” I asked him to read the first verse in Isaiah 53: 12 “he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” I asked Beshoy “who do you think that Isaiah is talking about?” He answered “Jesus” I said “that’s right, Jesus is the only one bore our sins and made intercession for us to pass the Judgment and no one will be condemn if he comes to God through Jesus. That was the one and only time that the Old Testament talked about intercession” and I continued “the second time came in the New Testament in Romans 8: 26 “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” and I asked Beshoy “Who is mentioned here as an intercessor?” He said “the Holy Spirit” Then I asked him to read the 3rd one which is the following verse, it is in Romans 8: 27 “And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” And Beshoy said “Yes, and here also is talking about the same person the Holy Spirit who can be the intercessor. And I let him read the 4th one in the same chapter in Romans 8: 34 “Who then is the one who condemns?  No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Then I asked him “How clear is that to have Jesus as the intercessor before the Lord for us as sinners? He said, “That’s very clear.” Then, the 5th is in Hebrews 7: 25 “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” and I said to him “If we read the Bible we will see lots of things that we may be doing our churches don’t match with what we read in the Bible. And the last one is in 1 John 2: 1 “My little children, I write you these things so that you may not violate God’s law and sin. But if anyone should sin, we have an Advocate (One who will intercede for us) with the Father [it is] Jesus Christ [the all] righteous”

  A little bit later, Beshoy said “But I can take the saint as a mediator not an intercessor?” I replied “Please read 1Timothy 2: 5” Beshoy read out loud “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus”

   I told Beshoy that no one ever of the prophets said “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart Matthew 11:28” God wants you to be in an intimate relationship with Him, because he loves you. God sent Jesus from heaven to save you, and he has a plan for your life to live for Him and to glorify Him in your life.

4- Does the Bible is relevant to marriage issues?

   My wife and I do door to door evangelism. Jurmeen opened her door for us, and we went in. she is Egyptian. She told us that God had sent us to her, because she was thinking of committing suicide. Her husband mistreats her, he fights with her all the time, he cheats on her, and he stays most of the days outside of the house. She lives in misery. I told her like what I told Abdulkader that I may not be able to solve her problem, but I can give her Jesus. I asked if she reads the Bible, and she answered “I have a bible, but I don’t read it” then I told her that the Bible is not like any other book. The Bible is not merely a book, but it is a person. It says in the Bible in 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” So it is Jesus Himself because He is the Word of God

I told her the marriage issues that she is having is not the biggest issue, but the biggest issue is where you’re spending your eternal life at when you commit suicide. I asked her if she is saved. She answered “No” I said, “You know because you are a Christian that Jesus loves you and died for you on the cross, but have you accepted him in your heart?” She answered “No.” I said “If you remember the story of Noah and the ark, all the people outside the ark died. Some people were very close to the ark and others were far away. The people who lived close to the arks, they knew everything about the ark, but they were still outside of the ark. Their lives were in danger. It doesn’t matter how much you know about Jesus if you still outside of Jesus” I asked her to open her Bible to read from 2 Corinthians 5: 17 which say “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” I told her “It’s possible that I can forget my keys here, right? She replied “Yes.” There is no way that I can forget my heart here.” She laughed and said “Yes.” I said “It’s exactly the same way when we are in Jesus, there will be no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus Romans 8:1” I asked her if she is ready to receive Jesus, and she agreed, and I lead her in the repentance prayer.

Non-Christians and non- believers usually ask:

1- Is not the Quran enough, since the Quran tells us about all the prophets?

2- If Jesus is from God, why would God let Him crucify?

3- God is so holy and we are sinners, so why can’t we have the saints to help us to come closer to God?

4- Does the Bible is relevant to marriage issues?

All the above questions I have covered in the 4 conversations.

 

 

 

1- Is not the Quran enough, since the Quran tells us about all the prophets?

Everyone has his own world view, and they think their worldview is the right one. Muslims believe that Quran is the holy book from God to them, and Quran is the only incorruptible book on earth. Jewish believe that Torah, Prophets, and writings are the only holy book. Also, Christians believe that the Bible is the only holy book from God. Since my first conversation was with a Muslim person believes that Quran has everything about Jesus, I will be addressing what the Bible has of points that Quran intentionally ignored to not make Jesus as the center of God’s message.

When Adam and Eve ate from the tree, sin entered the world. The serpent deceived Eve and let her ate, So God promised and said “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Gen 3:15. Therefore, we like every human being were waiting for a victorious person to bruise the serpent’s head. Moses never claimed that he bruised the serpent’s head nor Mohammed did. There is no prophet claimed that he bruised the serpent’s head. Jesus said “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” John 10: 10. Jesus came to restore people’s lives. In Hebrews 2: 14 says “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.” Therefore, Jesus is the only one said that He can give life, because He is the resurrection and the life.  Jesus came to bruise Satan’s evil thoughts, sin, and pride against God and against man. 

We don’t know that from the Quran, we can know that only from the Bible. If a person doesn’t know his savior, how would be that person defeat the sin and its power? How a person can be justified before God? Good works never justified humanity throughout the history, but all the time people’s works proved the failure of the human nature and the need to a savior. The savior came and won the battle on the cross, and anyone believes in Him, he will be saved.  

 

Jesus said that He is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus was not one of the ways, but He is the way to the father. Jesus’ life was unique. Dr. Jones says:

“when it was time to send this word to earth, God announced his arrival through priests and prophets, angels and starry signs across the eastern sky (Matthew 1:20-21; 2:2; Luke 1:11-18, 26-38, 67-80; 2:8-15, 25-38; 7:24-28. The living Word of God grew into adulthood and sacrificed his life on the cross, embracing God’s wrath in place of everyone who would trust in him after he rose to life on the third day, this same word filled his people’s hearts with spirit and empowered them to proclaim his kingdom throughout the world (Matthew 28:18-20;John 14:16-26; Acts 1:8. 

Quran tells us that Jesus was a great teacher, but it didn’t say His teaching. Quran testified that the Bible is good and from God, but it didn’t tell us what the Bible taught. Quran presents the half truth about the Bible and ignored the main goal. The main goal of the Bible is presenting Jesus as the savior. the half-truth is always bunch lies. Therefore, an honest person must read the Bible if he or she cares about the whole truth. Even though Jesus and the Bible says great teachings and commandments, but that wasn’t the main purpose, because man never kept the commandments. Man needed someone to save him from constant failure to please God. There was only one man could please God, and that person was Jesus. The father from heaven said “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” Matthew 3:17. He was the accepted sacrifice before God, whoever believed in Him, he will be saved. 

Quran doesn’t tell us any extra teachings from the Torah. Quran commands people to perform good deeds in order to satisfy God. Quran commanded Muslim to practice the 5 pillars. The 5 pillars are saying the Shehada (which they would say that there is only one God and Mohammed is God’s last messenger, Salah (which is praying 5 times a day), Zakat (Giving of alms, charity to the poor 2.5% of income), Al-Hag (making pilgrimage to the house of Allah in Mecca), and fasting from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan. However, all these commandments never treated the sinner, never dealt with his weakness, and never helped. These commandments even added extra burden on the sinner.

Jesus offered a new creation through a new birth. The Bible tells us in 2 Cor 5:17 “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” So, it is not based on the person’s performance anymore, only if he or she is in Christ. That means, if you believe in Christ and trust him to be your savior, you will have a new and a righteous nature. 

2- If Jesus is from God, why would God let Him crucify?

The Bible tells us that the Jews killed Jesus, because He was against them and their teachings. Also, Quran says the same thing. However; this single idea strips Christianity from the significant meaning of crucifixion and the purpose of it. Since the Quran tells that Jesus was a good man and a great teacher, Jews planned to kill Him because of teachings conflicts. I will explain a further understanding of redemption from the Bible and Quran.

The Bible and the Quran agree that only one sin from Adam and Eve was able to cast them out of the garden. Therefore, God will not let anyone enters heaven with one sin. Even if that person did great works and sinned only once, he or she will not enter God’s presence. The penalty was death to Adam and Eve. God took them out of the garden, and they expected to be killed, but he killed an animal instead. Then, God made them cloths and covered their shame through that animal’s skin.

Quran mentioned the story of Abel and Cain. Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain was a worker of the ground. When Abel and Cain came to present their offerings to God, God accepted Abel’s offering and rejected Cain’s offering. That’s what the Quran says, but this not the whole truth as we read the story in the Bible. The Bible tells us that Abel brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions, but Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground. An animal sacrifice was accepted because it refers to the lamb of God in the future. It had to be an animal sacrifice. Adam and eve understood that an animal was killed to cover their nakedness as the primary result of their sin, and they understood that it must be an animal sacrifice to draw people near to the Lord. That’s why God accepted Abel’s sacrifice and refused Cain’s offering. The Quran fade the importance of the animal sacrifices, because that would let the reader ask if we should offer an animal sacrifices to please God. That assumption will lead the reader to think about the redemption and crucifixion of Jesus. So the matter is more than jealousy Jewish leaders killed Jesus because of His teaching.

Quran tells us about God’s test to Abraham, but let’s find out and dig deeper in it. For this story, Quran tell us everything we have in the book of Geneses. I always ask Muslims this question “If you want to give a title to this story of Abraham offering his son as a sacrifice to the Lord, what would it be?” and they always say “Abraham’s obedience” because God commanded Abraham to offer his son as a sacrifice, and Abraham was obedient. What about when the Quran say about the son “And We ransomed him with a magnificent slain (sacrifice)” As Saffat 107. Because it seemed that the story did end at Abraham proof of obedience. His son had to be redeemed. And the redemption was not good deeds, praying 4 times a day, Zakat, Hag, or fasting the month of Ramadan. It was an animal sacrifice. A ram from God. The solution had to come from above. No one can provide a redemption to anyone. Jesus said in John 8:56 “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” What day was Jesus talking about here? It is the day of the redemption. The day when God accepted an animal sacrifice for a man. The amazing part of the story that God never asked Abraham to kill the ram. God only brought the ram, and Abraham killed it for his son. Abraham understood through what he heard about Adam and Eve’s animal sacrifice and God’s acceptance of Abel’s animal sacrifice, So Abraham knew that ram had to be killed. After Abraham killed the ram, the angel of the Lord blessed him and sworn to multiply Abraham’s offspring (that angel of the Lord was Jesus Himself since He sworn by Himself, that’s how Abraham was the day of Jesus). At that day, someone had to be killed, either the ram or Abraham’s son, but in God’s mercy, He accepted the ransom, and let the boy lived. 

The main idea here is highlighting very significant words and stories in the Quran to let the Muslim think. The Muslim can see how Christianity makes sense through the Quran even if it was hidden signs between lines in the Quran. It is very important for an apologist to understand that the main purpose is not to win the debate, but it is to present Christ to that Muslim person. Brooks says, “The ultimate hope of the discipleship process is to help the apologist arrive at a place where the goal of his or her ministry is not to win arguments but to win souls.” 

These were keys that we could use to let Muslims think that covering Adam and Eve, Abel’s accepted sacrifice, and God’s acceptance of the ram for Abraham’s son were the shadow of the lamb of God killed on the cross for all sinners. Humanity didn’t need more commandment than what God gave in the Torah, people needed a sacrifice from God to be offered for them to not perish in hell. Paul said in 1 Cor 5:7-8 “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival.” There are many prophecies about Jesus and his rejection from His people Psalm 69:8 says “I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother's sons.” And that was fulfilled in Christ. They called Him mad, Samaritan, and possessed by demons. Jesus took our possession. We were rejected, but He accepted to be rejected for us. Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter.” He offered the free salvation, because He payed the full price for our sins. All He wants from us to do is to accept Him and repent our sins. Jesus makes us a new creation, and that creation doesn’t sin. Even if we sinned, we have Jesus on the right hand of God to Intercede for us.

3- God is so holy and we are sinners, so why can’t we have saints to Intercede for us before God?

Sin extended from Adam and eve to their offspring throughout ages. No one is righteous before God. David said in Psalm 14:1-3 “They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.” God created Adam and Eve in a perfect state, and God wanted them to not sin. People loved the darkness. They loved to live in sin, because their deeds were evil. They don’t want to feel judged by God, so they decided to live far away from Him. There was not even one person were righteous. They all needed the glory of God. Paul in Romans 3:23 say, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” No one could pay the price, because the price is eternal death, but God chose to pay that price of sin. Salvation was offered free to man. Every good tree will bear good fruit, and there was no good fruit at all, because there was no good tree. Every human was corrupted. God sent His son to take the punishment on the cross for every sinner.

God planned for salvation to deliver His people from eternal death to eternal life. We can get our justification only through the redemption of Jesus Christ, because we  “Justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” Romans 3:24. God’s gift was the most precious gift ever. We couldn’t earn our salvation neither anyone could. That’s why God gifted us His righteousness.

The Bible mentioned all the saints’ sin and failure. Noah was a righteous man, but he drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. Abraham was a righteous man, but he lied and let Sarah lied and both said that Sarah and Abraham were a brother and a sister.  Lot was a righteous person (2Peter 2: 7), but he lay with his two daughters. Isaac lied about his wife and said that she was his sister. Jacob tricked his father and his father in law as well. Mosses killed an Egyptian. David committed adultery with Bathsheba and killed her husband Uriah the Hittite. Solomon worshipped idols and offered sacrifices to them. Isaiah said about himself and his people; “I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips” So, who could help and stand for any man?

If we look for a righteous person to intercede of any sinner before the Lord, no one is qualified. Simply, because everyone needs an intercessor for his own sins. Everyone including saints and fathers had sinned. The word of God was to Ezekiel in the book of Ezekiel 14:12-20 and gave him 4 different situations that the land may experience. These situations were hunger, wild beasts to pass through the land, a sword upon that land, and a pestilence into that land. In all these situations God said in Ezekiel 14:20 “Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, declares the Lord God, they would deliver neither son nor daughter. They would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness.” Here are these verses very explicit to show that God will not accept any intercession for a sinner.

Only the intercession of Jesus, because He is the only one didn’t sin. Peter said about Jesus “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth” 1 Peter 2:22, and Jesus said “No one comes to the Father except through me” John 14:6. Jesus is the only way to God, and He is available all the time for all sinners. According to the Bible, if we believe in one God, we have to believe in one mediator between us and God. 1 Timothy says, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” Since he was the one bore our sins on the cross, he would be the only one is qualified to intercede for us before God.

When I spoke with Beshoy, I knew what he was talking about. Beshoy was defending his belief about intercession, and every Coptic Christian in Egypt has his or her own intercessor from the saints. Intercession is a debate topic over years and years, many believers came from Coptic Christianity background and they always debate in this subject. Unfortunately, not all of them have the skill of humility. They just defend and leave wounds on people. Pastor Jamal Williams says, “You don’t want to win the argument, you want to win the person’s soul and the way to do that is by engaging them in a humble way.” So, the main goal is to win that person to the Lord, and the Lord’s job is to open that person’s heart. Morley says “as Jonathan Edwards said, we have to go beyond merely acknowledging that Christianity is true if we are to have saving faith. That saving faith is a gift of God, not a mere deliverance of the mind.”

4- Does the Bible is relevant to marriage issues?

The family is God’s project, and He always wanted to see it successful. In the beginning, God said “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him” Gen 2:18. God knew that Adam will need a woman to be with him, and He didn’t create her that same way He created Adam. God created Eve from Adam’s rib. A part from him became his wife. There is a significant meaning for that, so God wanted Adam and Eve to be together and not separated one day. Also, when any man and a woman get married, the Bible says that they will be one flesh. That means, they will be living with one mind, one soul, and one opinion.

 C.S Lewis said “the Christian Idea of marriage is based on Christ’s words that man and wife are to be regarded as a single organism for that is what the words ‘one flesh’ would be in modern English. And the Christians believe that when He said this He was not expressing a sentiment but stating a fact – just as one stating a fact when one says that lock and its key are one mechanism, or that a violin and bow are one musical instrument. The inventor of the human machine was telling us that its two halves, the male and the female, were made to be combined together in pairs, not simply on the sexual level, but totally combined” 

A man should not separate from his wife as the Bible says, “a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Unfortunately, many families fall apart, because they are not committed to the marriage covenant. There are men abuse their wives, they mistreat them, and cheat on them. Nowadays, divorce is an easy option for any couple that they can’t live together. They escape from the reality to solve their issues. Even though they are Christians, but they still divorce. Brooks say “In spite of the high (though diminishing) portion of people who profess to be followers of Christ, there are yet a small number of individuals and homes that truly adhere to a Christian worldview”

The Bible is the family manual in this world. When God designed the family to be a man and a woman, He wanted it to be like that all the time. Divorce is breaking the marriage covenant before the Lord. Solomon say in the book of Proverbs “who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God” Proverbs 2:17. Therefore, it is not like breaking a contract with a certain company, but it is breaking a covenant was established by the Lord. We shouldn’t live according the Bible as the earthly laws that we are obligated to respect. Love is the constitution of marriage. If we had experienced God’s love, we would better understand how to love and live faithfully as husbands and wives. A person will never understand the true meaning of love and faithfulness unless he or she met with the Lord. The Lord loved an unconditional love, and divorce is mainly because either a husband or a wife didn’t get enough from other. They always pay attention to what they want and need, but not to what they give if it is significant or not.  

Here are some biblical advises for a healthy marriage. First, a wife supposed to respect and submit to her husband as the Bible said “The head of the woman is man” 1Corinthians 11:3, and “Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands” 1 Peter 3:3. Submission will deescalate lots of situations, and a fruitful conversation between a husband and wife will help in overcoming hard times. Second, a husband must be faithful to his wife and never mistreat her verbally, physically, emotionally, or sexually. Women were created on God’s image too like man. God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground” Genesis 1:26. So men has to show respect to their wives, and men shouldn’t lust another woman. Lust is a trap for any man to be drawn to destruction of marriage. Malachi 2:15 says “be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.” She is the one who loved her man, and she trusted him on her body and her emotion. Finally, a man should love his wife as the Christ loved the church. Ephesians 5:25 says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” Christ loved the church not only by words but through action too. Love is the most precious thing that a man can present to his wife. Wilkens says,

 “Love is a powerful force in our lives. Listen to the songs on the radio, pick up a novel or go to the movie, the topic, more often than not, is love. Life is worth living when we know we are loved and are able to give love, love takes on a special role. The greatest of the commandments, as summarized by Jesus, is to ”love the Lord your God” and “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt 22:37,39).”

  Jesus’s proof of love costed Him to die on the cross. Jesus died on the cross for the church to be with Him forever, so how much can a man sacrifice for his wife to be with him all the time?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Which scripture does tell the whole truth?

-   Tora.

-   Bible.

-   Quran.

 

Which prophet bruise the serpent’s head?

-   Moses.

-   Mohammed.

-   Jesus.

Sin was the reason for mankind to fail and die, and Jesus only offered life for the dead. Throughout the history, no one could save himself through his good deeds. We all needed a savior.

 

Can we know what Jesus taught and what He did from the Quran? 

-   Quran tell us that Jesus was a great teach, but it never said what he taught.

-   Quran never mentioned the importance of Jesus’ crucifixion.

-   Quran requires people to practice the 5 pillars of Islam for a great chance to please God.

 

The Bible tell us the whole story:

-   Humankind fail into sin, and commandments didn’t help him.

-   The Bible tells us that God understood the failure of man, and God sent His only son to save us from eternal punishment.

-   Jesus was not sent primarily to give us commandment, but Jesus was sent to reconcile us with God.

 

 

 

-   Since one sin God casted Adam and Eve from the Garden, no one will enter the heaven (the paradise-Al Ganah) with one sin. Here are some examples to help us to understand the crucifixion of Jesus.

●  Adam and Eve (Genesis 3)

An animal was killed for their nakedness to be covered.

 

●  Abel and Cain (Genesis 4)

God accepted Abel’s sacrifice because it was an animal sacrifice.

 

●  Abraham and the lamb of God (Genesis 22)

-   A ram was accepted for man.

-   Was it merely an obedience test, or a glance of a Jesus on the cross?

 

●  Jesus was killed for every sinner (1 Cor 5:7)

“Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-   Every human has sinned and needed the Glory of God. Read Psalm 14:1-3 and Romans 3:23.

-   Let’s find an intercessor:

●  Noah drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. Genesis 9:20.

●  Abraham lied and let Sarah lied and both said that Sarah and Abraham were a brother and a sister. Genesis 12:10-13, 20:1-2.

●  Lot slept with his two daughters. Genesis 19:30-38.

●  Isaac lied about his wife and said that she was his sister. Genesis 26:7.

●  Jacob tricked his father and his father in law as well. Genesis 27:18-29.

●  Mosses killed an Egyptian man. Exodus 2:11-12.

●  David committed adultery with Bathsheba and killed her husband Uriah the Hittite. 2 Samuel 11.

●  Solomon worshipped idols and offered sacrifices to them.1 Kings 11.

●  Isaiah said about himself “I am a man of unclean lips” Isaiah 6:5.

 

-   God refused intercessor from the earth. Ezekiel 14:12-20.

-   Jesus committed no sin. 1 Peter 2:22.

-   If we believe in one God, we should believe in one mediator. 1 Timothy 2:5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-   Do me appreciate their wives as a gift from God?

-   What kind of mistreatment we see today in our society toward wives?

-   A man with no wife is a man with no help. Genesis 2:18.

-   God didn’t create Eve from another heap of dust like Adam. Genesis 2:21.

-   The Bible tells us that God hates divorce. Malachi 2:16.

-   Marriage is a covenant and not a contract. Proverbs 2:17.

-   Biblical advises for a healthy marriage:

●  First, a wife supposed to respect and submit to her. (1Corinthians 11:3, 1Peter 3:3).

●  Second, a husband must be faithful to his wife. (Malachi 2:15)

●  Finally, a man should love his wife as the Christ loved the church. (Ephesians 5:25)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

bibliography

Brooks, Christopher W. Urban Apologetics. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2014.

Jones, Timothy Paul. How we Got the Bible. Massachusetts: Rose Publishing. 2015.

Lewis, C.S. Mere Christianity. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2009.

Morley, Brian K. Mapping Apologetics. Downers Grove: Inter Varsity Press, 2015.

Wilkens, Steve. Beyond Bumper Sticker Ethics. Downers Grove: Inter Varsity Press. 2011.

All Scriptures used from ESV translation.

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[1] Arab American institute, www.aaiusa.org