Crucial Differences Between God and Jesus Christ
It is imperative to realize and understand the critical differences between the nature of God and the nature of Jesus Christ, who was but a human prophet. The Bible proves that Jesus Christ was not All-Powerful and that he cannot be God. God is All-Mighty, Al-Powerful, and All-Knowing, and as Jesus Christ is human, he has limitations. Mark 6:5 states that Jesus Christ could not perform any miracles, except for a few: He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. (Mark 6:5). Mark 8:22–26 states that when Jesus Christ tried to heal a blind person, he was unsuccessful on the first attempt and had to try again. Would God fail to do anything on his first try?
The Bible demonstrates that God in the Heavens is All-Knowing, meaning His Knowledge is infinite -which of course, is true. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite (Psalm 147:5). On the other hand, the Bible demonstrates that Jesus Christ was not all-knowing and had limited knowledge, as he did not know the date of Judgement Day: But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Matthew 24:36). Here is another similar verse: But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father (Mark 13:32). How can Jesus Christ be divine and part of the Trinity if he does not even know the date of Judgement Day? The answer is simple; Jesus Christ is a human prophet and not God.
Mark 11:12-13 shares a story that demonstrates Jesus Christ’s limited knowledge: Jesus Christ approached a fig tree to eat some fruit but found none—this was because it was not fig season. If Jesus Christ were All-Knowing, he would have known that the tree would not bear figs as it was not fig season. The next day, as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing a fig tree in leaf in the distance, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves because it was not the season for figs. (Mark 11:12-13). The Bible quotes: And Jesus grew in wisdom, stature, and favor, with God and man. (Luke 2:52). This implies that Jesus Christ could not have been All-Knowing as his wisdom grew, meaning his wisdom was less at one point. God does not learn as He goes; He is always All-Knowing!
God is independent of everything and does not need to eat, drink, or sleep. God does not sleep nor slumber, nor does sleep overtake Him! Jesus Christ, on the other hand, ate, drank, slept, and urinated because he was human. He suffered pain and felt emotions. This differentiates Christ from God, the Almighty. If Jesus Christ were, in fact, divine, he would not have needed to perform human actions and functions.
The Bible states that Jesus Christ died, but God cannot die. If a person dies, he cannot be God by definition. God has always existed and will always exist. Jesus Christ, on the other hand, was born of a mother and came into existence at one point, so he had a beginning. However, God does not have a beginning nor an end!
God does not need help or prayer as He can do anything; He is the possessor of everything. Jesus Christ, on the other hand, needed assistance from God above, so he prayed to God. Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will. (Matthew 26:39). Jesus Christ prayed, in the same manner, Muslims pray by prostrating themselves to the ground since Jesus Christ was a Muslim. Remember that by definition, a Muslim is someone who submits himself to God, the Almighty above! If Jesus Christ was God, the Son of God, or divine in any way, why would he need to fall into humility and pray to God? Will you tell me that Jesus Christ was praying to himself or a part of himself? Where is the logic in that? Jesus Christ was praying to the One true God in the Heavens! Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. (John 17:3). The Holy Quran confirms that Jesus Christ was praying to the One and Only God in the Heavens:
“And (shall make him) a messenger to the Children of Israel (who will say to them): “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, that is, I create for you from clay something in the shape of a bird, then I blow in it, and it becomes a living bird by the will of Allah; and I cure the born-blind and the leper, and I cause the dead to become alive by the will of Allah; and I inform you of what you eat and what you store in your homes. In this there is surely a sign for you if you are (truly) believers. (I have come to you) confirming that (book) which is (sent down) prior to me, that is, the Torah, and to make permissible for you some of what was prohibited to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. So, fear Allah and obey me. Allah is surely my Lord and your Lord. So, worship Him. This is the straight path” (Quran 3:49-51)
Jesus Christ instructed his disciples to pray to God in the Heavens and never told them to direct their worship to him; nor did he ever tell them he was divine, God or son of God: And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in Earth (Luke 11:2).
The Bible states that one cannot see God in this World: ‘But’ he said, ‘you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live’ (Exodus 33:20); Clearly, the disciples and others saw Jesus Christ in this world because he was not God. According to the Bible, if he were God, they would not have been able to see him.
Jesus Christ acknowledged that God above is greater than him: You heard me say, ‘I am going away, and I am coming back to you. If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.’ (John 14:28). Jesus Christ was, but a human Prophet sent from God to his people, and he did not speak on his own authority; he told only that which God above commanded him to: …The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority…. (John 14:10). Jesus had no power to do anything; he could only do what God above, his Creator, allowed and willed him to do. The Bible quotes Jesus Christ, saying: By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me (John 5:30). Christians say that Jesus Christ was a savior, but he could not even save himself; he needed saving himself. As stated in the previous chapter, Jesus Christ begged God to save him right before he thought he would get crucified!
By definition, God cannot be limited. If one were to say that Jesus Christ transformed from God into a human when he was on Earth, rendering him limited power and knowledge, he could not be God because God, by definition, is All-Mighty, All-Powerful, and All-Knowing and can never be limited. Moreover, Romans 1:23 states God is immortal as he cannot die, which is true! And exchanged the glory of the immortal God… However, Jesus Christ died for our sins, according to Christians. How can God die? Jesus Christ grew and changed from a baby to a boy to a man, proving that he cannot be God as the Bible states God does not change I the LORD do not change… (Malachi 3:6).
God says he is not a man in the Bible: I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I devastate Ephraim again, for I am God, and not a man— the Holy One among you. I will not come against their cities. (Hosea 11:9). Also, in this verse: God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? (Numbers 23:19) This verse states explicitly that our God is not the son of man.
Jesus Christ is called a man throughout the Bible: Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know (Acts 2:22) Also, As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. (John 8:40) Moreover, here: For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). In many verses, the Bible states that Jesus Christ is the son of man: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the Earth (Matthew 12:40) Moreover, in: And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man (John 5:27). The term “son of man” is used throughout the Bible, referencing different individuals.
The Bible references how the devil tempted Jesus for forty days: Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where he was tempted[a] by the devil for forty days. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry (Luke 4:1-13). Is it logical for God, who is All-Mighty and created Satan, to be tempted by Satan? Of course not! Jesus Christ was human therefore was able to be tempted by Satan. The Bible states explicitly that God cannot be tempted by evil: When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. (James 1:13)
“People of the Book, do not go to excess in your religion, and do not say anything about God except the truth: the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was nothing more than a messenger of God, His word, directed to Mary, a spirit from Him. So believe in God and His messengers and do not speak of a ‘Trinity’- stop [this], that is better for you- God is only one God, He is far above having a son, everything in the Heavens and Earth belongs to Him, and He is the best one to trust” (Quran 4:127)