Session
6
Q. Today we’d like to talk about those who accepted and
acknowledged Him as the long anticipated Messiah.
A. John 1:12 says, ‘But as many as received Him, to
them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His
name.’ We notice that this verse distinguishes between two types of people:
One, those who rejected the Lord, and had no faith in Him or in His mission;
and the other are those who accepted Him and believed in Him and in His
mission. Each one of us falls under one of these two categories.
Q. It seems like there is a third category;
those who say that believe in all messengers and prophets, but neither believe
that The Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His name) is God revealed in human
flesh, nor that He was crucified, and raised from the dead. They do not believe
that the Lord Christ (Glory be to His name) is the End of all Prophets and
Master of all missionaries, nor do they believe in redemption or sacrifices of
Passover. They believe in the Day of Judgment, though, and in God and His
prophets, including the Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His name) (Essa Bin Mariam - Jesus son of
Mary). In your opinion, can we consider those the non-rejecting, and believing?
A. Those may seem to be a third category of humans;
but in fact they are simply among those rejecting Him. Who is Christ, Issa Bin Miriam whom those beloved ones believe in? Christ
(Glory be to His name) is not Essa Bin Mariam; He is Jesus, Son of God, as we previously said. It
is neither fair, nor just to call Him after His mother’s name since He does not
have a natural earthly father. If God Almighty says that ‘He is My son’, as we previously explained, then we have to believe
this truth. Also, if the Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His name) (Peace be
upon Him) is similar in His creation to Adam, ‘God formed Man from the dust of
the ground and breathed in His nostrils the breath of life, and said be and he
was’, then the Lord Christ (Glory be to His name) is not the final Prophet,
neither is He the master of all missionaries. Then we are talking in different
directions, and of a different person called The Lord Jesus Christ, and not Essa Bin Miriam. Those beloved ones do not believe in our
Lord and Savior, The Lord Jesus Christ, thus they are also rejecting Him.
Q.
What are the blessings or the rewards of those who believe that the Lord
Jesus Christ (Glory be to His name) is the word of God - Those who have
accepted Him as their personal savior and redeemer?
A. The Gospel says of
those in John 1:12, ‘But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to
become children of God, to those who believe in His name.’
Q. Dr. Nagi, these
are indeed serious words. What does ‘gave the right to become children of God’
mean? Who are those who received Him, if the Jews had rejected Him?
A. ‘Those who received Him’ are any person, no
matter what his denomination, religion, doctrine or nation - those who
acknowledged Him as a Prophet, Missionary, Lord and King of their lives; who believed
that He is the only way to heaven and eternal life, and that by no one else is
there salvation. Since, ‘to Him all the Prophets witness that through His name,
whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.’ Acts 10:43, ‘for there
is no other name under heaven given among men by which
we must be saved,’ Acts 4:12. We are saved from our sins and its deadly wages.
Those are the ones whom He gave the right, and authority to be children of God,
those who believe in His name.
Q. Don’t you think that for someone to claim
to be a Son of God is far fetched and does not conform to human perception? It
even limits God Almighty in human relations, which is contradictory to His
nature. How can Man take the right to become son of God Almighty? Aren’t we all
slaves (servants) of God?
A. As I said, this perception, or
truth, may seem to be far fetched, had it not be the idea of God Almighty. He
is the initiator, the supporter and provider of this perception to Mankind. He
is capable of fulfilling what He wants; He honors whom He wishes, and
humiliates whom He wishes. The Holy Scripture says, ‘He has put down the mighty
from their thrones, and exalted the lowly.’ Luke 1:52. From human standpoint,
this is impossible to attain; but from a divine standpoint, He gave those who
believed in the Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His name) the right to become
children of God. This does not limit the status and greatness of God Almighty;
and it definitely does not involve Him in limited human relations; He is
undoubtedly above all such. The matter is entirely spiritual, and is absolutely
unrelated to earthly, limited secular matters. This does not deny that we mere
slaves of God Almighty. He is the Creator, Master and Dominator. Yet, as we
enjoy being His servants and slaves, He was gracious in bestowing on us the
right to be His children if we believe in His Son, The Lord Jesus Christ. This
further clarifies that God Almighty’s Fatherhood to the Lord Jesus Christ
(Glory be to His name) is not physical.
Q. How could our Sonhood
to God Almighty verify that of The Lord Jesus Christ?
A. There are
three types of affiliation with God Almighty, mentioned in the Holy Bible: One,
by nature, that of the Lord Jesus Christ. No one shares this relationship with
our Lord on earth, in heaven or under earth. He is the only One who is equal to
God Almighty in Nature - existing eternally. He is not subject to time, and
does not sleep. He is able to fulfill whatever He pleases, and are attributed
the Most Beautiful Names. Since we believe in one God, then the Lord Jesus
Christ (Glory be to His name) is the revelation of God, or rather the essence
of God, taking human form, and was revealed to us. This is clear in the way He
was born as we explained earlier.
Q. What types of Sonhood
are there other than that of nature?
A. Sonhood by creation,
which applies both to angels and to Man: God Almighty created both. In Luke 3:
38, the revelation traces the ancestral line of the Lord Jesus Christ, ‘son of
Nosh, son of Sheth,
son of Adam, son of God’ He called Adam, son of God - of course not by physical
reproduction, but by creation. Moses, spokesman of God Almighty in Deuteronomy
14: 1 says, ‘you are the children of the Lord your God’.
Q. Dr. Nagi,
before telling us further about the third kind of son hood to God, I have a
question about Son hood by creation. As you explained, ever since God Almighty
created Adam, he was called after the Almighty as a son. This is clear in all
the examples that you have mentioned. What about John 1:12, ‘‘But as many as
received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God’. Weren’t
they initially children of God, having created them? What did this ‘right’ add
to those who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ? What use is it, if Man was
already a child of God long before that right existed?
A. The answer lies in explaining the third type of Sonhood: That of redemption. This is clear in many
locations of the Old Testament. For example in Galatians, the revelation
states, ‘But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son,
born of a woman, born under the law.’ Galatians 4:4, 5.
In other words, by the redemption of the Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His
name) as a sacrifice for our sins, we became children of God Almighty.
Q. Weren’t we already children of God as you
said earlier?
A. We were children by creation. But when Adam and
Eve followed the deception of Satan (Adam and Even then represented the entire
human race), they separated spiritually form God Almighty. The Bible says that
Man became an enemy of the Almighty, submissive to the evil one (Satan). Man
continued to be a Son of God, by creation; but spiritually, he has become an
enemy of God. God wanted to resume His fatherhood to Man, but this time, He
gave Man the freedom either to become a son by spirit, not only by flesh; or to
resume his hostility and antagonism with the Almighty. He sent out the Lord
Jesus Christ (Glory be to His name) to save
Q. Dr. Nagi,
before we go on, what is in it for Man to become a Son of God?
A. We cannot enumerate the benefits, but I will
state but a few: First: It is a great privilege to belong to the household of
God, far beyond the perception of
Second: By joining the household of the Almighty,
one does not merely escape the cruel evil of Satan, but also escape the torture
of the grave and eternal death. It is not logic that the children of God
Almighty would be doomed to eternal death, for He will deliver them on the Day
of Judgment. Even though He will become a fair judge to condemn His enemies and
sentence them to eternal death; He will guarantee eternal life, prepared for
those who believe in The Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His name) - a reward
from God for those who received His plan of salvation. Would you like me to say
more on this?
Q. Please tell us the maximum.
A. Well, being children of God, we’ll be able to
talk to Him; He listens, answers, and stretches forth His protection from all evil.
How great it is to have a Mighty Father, capable of all things, saying: be, and
things just happen. How great it is to have the privilege of not being afraid
of the Almighty, knowing He sits in heaven, counting our sins and iniquities,
and storing them for the Day of Judgment to balance all our acts. Being human,
I know that, by all means, my sins will surpass my good deeds, even if a good
deed equals ten folds one sin, my destiny will still end up in eternal doom. I
long to deal with the Almighty as a Father, to lay down all my concerns,
weakness of flesh and soul and all the fear that paralyzes me, and makes me
unable to return His love. I wish He would hear and forgive my sins, and help
me live with integrity in this world, and to save me from eternal death.
Q. Dr. Nagi, in
John 1: 3, the revelation states that those who received Him; are those He gave
the right to become children of God, ‘who were born, neither of blood, nor of
the will neither of the flesh, nor of the will man, but of God’. What do the words, ‘born of God’ mean?
A. Believing in God Almighty and the Lord Jesus
Christ (Glory be to His name) as God revealed in human body, is pure spiritual,
and is completely unrelated to Flesh and Blood. Natural birth of all humans is
a result of the will of a man and a woman, except for Adam and Eve, who existed
from dust; and the Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His name) who was born by the
spirit of God, from the Virgin St. Mary. But, as for spiritual births, the
scripture defines those as born of God.
Q. You have not explained what is ‘born of
God’?
A. It is a
spiritual process that takes place inside Man, where he realizes he is a sinner
born in sin, and will undoubtedly parish unless someone changes him. He then
believes that The Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His name) is God revealed in
human body, and is therefore the only one who qualifies to be his personal
savior and redeemer. Eventually he asks God Almighty to forgive his sins,
repents, and is sure of the Almighty’s forgiveness and mercy. The Lord God
changes the nature of the heart of this person in a spiritual manner, and
accepts and gives him access to the household of the Almighty. God gives this
person a nature that hates sin, in lieu of the old rotten nature, which loved
sin, and cared less for committing it. Man thus enjoys a loving relationship
that the Almighty offers. In short, a substantial and comprehensive change
takes place in Man, as if born again.
Q. Why those were called born of God?
A. As I said, because this is a process that God
Himself performs within the spirit of
Q. Who are those who are able receive this
process. Is it confined to Christians only, or is it offered to Mankind? If it
happens to a non-Christian, does this mean that the person has to change
his/her religion to become a Christian?
A. The process of inner change, or being born of
God as we just explained, is a free gift, offered to the entire human race –
all those who fulfill the conditions of repentance and returning to the
Almighty. This is very clear in the Holy
Scripture, ‘For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him shall not parish but have everlasting life.’ John 3:15. God loved the entire world. And every one who believes in the Lord Jesus
Christ, Peace be upon Him, receives eternal life. This message of birth from God started first
among the Jewish Disciples of the Lord Christ, then spread throughout the
world. This is not confined to
Christians. As I said, the Lord Christ
(Glory be to His name) came for the entire world. Now should this birth from God happen to a
non-Christian, does not mean that he has to convert to Christianity. I would like to ask you something though,
what is your conception of becoming a Christian?
Q. In my understanding, accepting
Christianity as a new religion means accepting all the obligations and
doctrines and rituals therein. This person has to declare to people that he has
been christened, and that he is not related, whatsoever, to his old religion.
A. I do not agree with this concept of being a
Christian. The word Christian, as I know
it, is not following a new religion with a new group of teachings, obligations
and rituals. It is following a living person, whom God has ascended to heaven.
He is alive forever and ever. Alive in the hearts of all those who believe in
Him; and will come again as a fair judge between Man and God Almighty.
Accepting Him as a personal savior from sins, and intercessor on my behalf, with
God Almighty, and following Him, is not a matter of a group of teachings; He is
the core of the subject.
Q. Then who so ever receives the Lord Jesus
Christ (Glory be to His name) as you previously mentioned, even if he is not a
Christian, is born again, and will thus escape the torture of the grave, hell
and Satan, and is guaranteed access to eternal glory.
A. Indeed;
it is a free gift from God Almighty for whoever accepts it, without change in
religion, doctrine, race or color.
Q. Is it possible that you lead us into
prayer, speaking on behalf of any person who wishes to receive The Lord Jesus
Christ (Glory be to His name) as his personal savior, yet does not know what to
say in prayer?
A. First, I would like to say something to any
person who wishes to receive The Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His name) as
his personal savior, and wishes to be born again, yet does not know what to
say. What is to be said is not important in so much as a true desire from the
depth of the heart. You can express yourself in very few words or phrases; so
long as they express your genuine heart desires. You can tell Him:
Lord God, I come to you admitting my sins and
iniquities, and my total inability to reform or change myself. I know that if I
do not accept the Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His name) as my savior, I'm a
loser, and I'll end up in everlasting doom. Today, I come to you repentant,
forgive my sins, and consider me among the righteous. Lord, I do believe in our
redemption through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His name) on
my behalf. I believe that you cleanse me from all sins; that by your grace, I
will belong to your household; you are able to do all things. Take my whole
life, and heart. Change them as you will; you are the Best Supporter and Best
Provider. Amen