You Shall Worship the Lord Your God

I found myself in another online debate this weekend. This time it was on YouTube. I normally do not pay much attention to the comments that go on below the videos that play on YouTube, many of them are sensless and many more are just profane. However, both the video I watched and the comments that followed could not be left unchallenged.

The claim that is made in this video is that Jesus Christ never claimed to be God. The man attempting to make the case is Khaled Yasin, a lecturer and teacher of Islam. The argument that this man brings is remarkably weak and intellectually dishonest. However, his weak reasoning and poor hermenuetics may be enough to trouble the unprepared heart and unrenewed mind. Rather than presenting his complete arguments here I will just have you listen to this teacher in his own words. The video will be posted at the end of this article.

There were a few points that I made in the course of this debate but I want to focus on one issue. That is, that Jesus allowed Himself to be worshipped. And the fact that Jesus would allow Himself to be worshipped can only mean one of three things. He was either a blashpemous liar, a lunatic, or He was who He claimed to be, God manifest in the flesh.

I used a bit of strategy when coming to this point and I believe that it will prove to be very useful. I wanted the Muslims to tell me that men should not be worshipped as God and that God alone is worthy to be praised. The line of questioning went as follows:

YeshElsm
What is a person to expect by worshipping Muhammed? What would Muhammed do for them or tell them if they got down on their knees and praised him as Allah? Would he accept them? Would he take them to Paradise?

0wnag3f3v3r
Muslims do not worship Muhammed (pbuh). We worship Allah only.

YeshElsm
I realize that. But if I wanted to worship Muhammed as Allah would he allow it and receive it?

0wnag3f3v3r
nope, he wouldnt allow it. because he himself is a human being messenger, only saying the "words" of god, not being godly himself.

The following is the unabridged response:

Mohammed would be wise not to allow himself to be worshipped; for as Jesus said in His rebuke to Satan, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.” The Apostle Peter took this commandment very seriously. When he entered the house of a man called Cornelius, the man fell down at Peter’s feet and worshiped him. But Peter, being a wise disciple of Jesus, lifted him up and said "Stand up; I too am a man." The Apostle Paul and his disciple Barnabas reacted in like manner when the people of Lystra tried to bring bulls to sacrifice to them. They both tore their clothes and rushed out into the gathering crowd and shouted, "Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you!” These were very wise men who would not allow themselves to be worshipped. In the book of Acts we actually have a great example of what may happen to a person who does allow men to worship them. King Herod put his life on the line when he allowed his audience to worship him as a god. When Herod failed to direct this praise toward the one true God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

Jesus was different than all of these men. He was worshipped many times, yet he never once rebuked a person for giving Him the thanks, honor and praise that should only be given to GOD.

Here are but a few examples:

Matthew 2:2 - The wise men who came from the East came looking for the Jewish Messiah, King of the Jews. Not only did they come bearing gifts but they came to worship him.
Matthew 14:33 – After Jesus demonstrated His power and authority to even control the weather his disciples worshiped him.
Matthew 28:9 – After the two women discovered that Jesus had risen from the dead they ran to spread the news of His resurrection. On their way back to tell the disciples, Jesus appeared to the women. They both fell at His feet and worshipped him.
John 9:38 – After Jesus reveals Himself to the blind man He had healed, the man worshipped Jesus. In each case Jesus did not forbid their worship nor did he defer their worship toward GOD.

But perhaps the most conclusive and inescapable passage in the scriptures that shows Jesus allowing Himself to be worshiped as God can be found in John 20:28. Thomas was absent the first time that the Messiah appeared to His disciples. When his friends told him about Jesus’ appearing, Thomas said that he would not believe unless he were able to see the scars with his own eyes and thrust his finger and hand into Jesus’ wounds. Eight days later Jesus appeared and said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe." Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!"

Jesus the Messiah was either a lying blasphemer who allowed himself to be worshipped or He was precisely who He claimed to be, the God of Heaven and Earth.

Before I close this article I want to share with you one more perspective concerning the worship of the God-man Jesus, the perspective of GOD ALMIGHTY. I will spare you my commentary and simply allow the inspired writer of the letter to the Hebrews to speak for God himself.

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, today I have begotten You”? And again: “I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son.”? But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire.” But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”

Not only do we see that the holy angels worship Jesus as God but we also find that GOD Almighty declares the Son worthy of woship as God.

Amen.



The thread of comments can be found here. Warning: Explicit Language
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Listen to Todd Friel discuss this article and video on Wretched Radio!