THE ATTRIBUTION OF ALLAH’S (S.W) DEEDS TO JESUS (PBUH)

5- THE ATTRIBUTION OF ALLAH’S (S.W) DEEDS TO JESUS (PBUH)

1. The Attribution of Creation to God Almighty by Jesus

 

Some passages attribute the creation to Allah (S.W) by Jesus (PBUH); Christians take it as evidence of his divinity. Among these passages, Paul’s words, “For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through Him and for Him.” (Col. 1:16 - 17)

 

In another passage, he said, “God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.”(Eph. 3:9 KJV)

 

The same is mentioned in John’s Gospel,“He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. (John 1:10), and the same is in the Epistle to the Hebrews, (Heb. 1:2) and other passages. 

First, we notice that the Holy Bible passages attribute the creation only to Allah (S.W). The Book of Genesis says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”(Gen. 1/1). It did not mention another creator, who shared with Allah (S.W) this creation or was a means by which the creation happened. In the Book of Isaiah, we read,“Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens”(Isaiah 42:5). In addition, Paul and Barnabas said to the people of Lystra,“we bring you good news that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the seaand all that is in them.” (Acts 14:15). The Holy Bible never mentions a creator but Allah (S.W).

Paul and John’s words are talking about Allah (S.W), who created things by Jesus (PBUH) as He made him perform his miracles(Acts 2/22). It did not mention that Jesus (PBUH) is the creator.

The meaning of all these passages, if we consider them genuine, is that Allah (S.W) has created the creatures and things by Jesus (PBUH). Talking about Trinity hypostasis and its different acts, Priest James Anis said, “An example of the distinction of their acts is, that the Father created the world by the Son”. [1]

This is a strange meaning, which neither the Old Testament’s prophets nor Jesus (PBUH) did ever mention. However, Paul’s Epistles and John’s philosophical Gospel, which derived from the Platonic and the Gnostic philosophies, mention it.  The Gnostics believe that God is much honored to create by himself; therefore, He authorized the Word or the angels to act on behalf of Him.

Furthermore, Jesus (PBUH) cannot be the creator of heavens and earth; for he himself is a creature. Even though Christians claim that he is the first creature, he is still a creature, and the creature is different from the Creator.“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation(Col. 1/15).

Moreover, he who could not bring himself back to life after he died cannot be the creator of heavens and earth or even to be the means of that creation: “This Jesus God raised up.”(Acts 2/32). If Allah (S.W) did not raise him, he would not be able to rise from the dead. “And you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead.”(Acts 3/15), and Paul’s words, “God the Father, who raised him from the dead.”(Galatians 1/1).

 

Scholars believe that the word creation in these passages means the creation of guidance and leading, and not the real creation from nothing, for that is only Allah’s (S.W) work. The creating, which Jesus (PBUH) performed, is the new kind of creating, the guidance creating, which David (PBUH) spoke of when he was praying to Allah (S.W), saying, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalms 51:10).

Paul said the same about those who believe in Jesus (PBUH). “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”(Cor.2, 5/17)

He also said, “For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation,”(Galatians 6/15)

On that basis, James considered the disciples as the first creations, he said, “Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.”(James 1/18), meaning the first guided, who underwent a new creation. Thus, Jesus’ (PBUH) creating of beings is a spiritual creation; for Allah (S.W) made him awaken the hard-hearted.

One may refute our reasoning and understanding of these passages with what he/she reads in them about the creation of heavens and earth by Jesus (PBUH). He/she may also consider that these passages, which Christians present, do not refer to humans only, but include heaven and earth. This, for those who are not accustomed with the Bible’s expression, will prevent the reasoning of this new creation, which I have explained.

Those who are accustomed with the Bible’s expression consider these passages as a usual exaggeration of the Old and the New Testaments.  Some of these descriptions, I will list below:

The New Testament describes Jesus (PBUH) and the disciples as the light of the world. John said, “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world.Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”(John 8/12),

Jesus (PBUH) said to his disciples, "You are the light of the world.”(Matt. 5:14). As we know, they all were the light, which showed the believers the right path; and was rejected by others whom their hearts were still in darkness.

Christians cannot claim that the light is for animals and the inanimate entities, for, when John describes Jesus (PBUH) and his disciples as the light of the world, they did not light anything except the heart of the believers. He described Jesus (PBUH) as the means of the new creation of the world, meaning the believers only.

Likewise, what Paul said[2]about the conciliation by Jesus’ (PBUH) blood, he said, “and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”(Col. 1/20). Even though this conciliation was for the people, not animals or other unbelieving creatures, these have no share in this conciliation, which we may understand from the passages that they were included.

In Ephesus, Paul spoke about those whom Allah (S.W) has sent Jesus (PBUH) to redeem, He sent him in order to, “as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth”(Ephesus 1/10).

James Anas said, “the word ‘everything’ does not mean the universe with its living and inanimate entities, such as the sun, the moon, and the stars, because they cannot be reconciled with God.  In addition and for the same reason, it does not mean all the animals and the degraded creatures; for Jesus did not come to ransom the degraded angels (Heb. 2/16), and it does not mean all humans, because the Book knows that not all the people can be reconciled with God.”[3]

 

Likewise, is Paul’ saying, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”(Cor.(1) 15/22) If death included all people because of Adam’s sin, those whom Jesus brings to life are the believers only, not all the dead that died because of Adam’s sin. 

Thus, we see in these passages, a general meaning for the word ‘Creation’ that was not intended for a real creation. It was intended for a special creation that is the guidance creation, which is only for the believers.