As we have expressed, the fact that some Christians idolize the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) –God is beyond that- is basically because some words of the Gospel are wrongly interpreted. (You can read the details about this subject from here and here.) The Prophet Jesus (pbuh) surely carries the soul of God and surely God manifests in him. However, the concept of “manifestation” has been misinterpreted by some Christians for hundreds of years and turned into a false belief, which holds that the Self of God manifests in the Prophet Jesus (pbuh). This is the main reason that today some Christians are mistaken about this issue.
In order to avoid this indecent and false point of view, our Christian brothers should understand what is meant with “manifestation” very well:
God created the universe from nothing and has absolute dominion over it. Everything in the Earth and sky belongs to Him alone. God is everywhere. All mothers and fathers are manifestations of God. All children are manifestations of God. All butterflies, birds, trees, roses and fruits are manifestations of God. The planets, suns and giant universe are manifestations of God. The Presence of God is manifested in many places and forms. This is the creative artistry of God. God has the power to show His infinite might and power in the manner He chooses in the entity He chooses. When God called for the Prophet Moses (pbuh) through the bush, God has manifested in the bush.
God is not separate from His creations. All beings and everything in the universe are images of Him. People can never see Almighty God in person, but they are in constant contact with manifestations of Him. A person is himself a manifestation of God. Almighty God pervades all things in the universe. God reveals this truth in the Gospel:
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:17)
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's Sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:13)
God reveals the fact that He encompasses all places and all things in the Qur’an as follows:
God, there is no god but Him, the Living, the Self-Sustaining. He is not subject to drowsiness or sleep. Everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him. Who can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them but they cannot grasp any of His knowledge save what He wills. His Footstool encompasses the heavens and the earth and their preservation does not tire Him. He is the Most High, the Magnificent. (Surat al-Baqara, 255)
God reveals His closeness to the manifestations of Him:
We created man and We know what his own self whispers to him. We are nearer to him than his jugular vein. (Surah Qaf, 16)
Our Lord reveals how His Presence pervades all places:
Both East and West belong to God, so wherever you turn, the Face of God is there. God is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing. (Surat al-Baqara, 115)
To claim that something is not a manifestation of God means calling that a being independent from God and this is openly polytheism and distortion of faith. This is the same thing as claiming that God is not infinite (God is beyond that). The infinite existence of God encompasses all. There is no being independent of Him. God shows His own existence in all things. Therefore, it is not possible to talk about a being that is not a manifestation of God or that is independent of God.
The Prophet Jesus’ (pbuh) strong fear and love of God, superior moral values, his exemplary behavior, the miracles bestowed on him by our Lord and all the extraordinary attributes He was blessed with by God are all special manifestations of our Lord. He is a beloved servant of God, a holy prophet who is an intense manifestation of His title of ar-Rahman. The fact that he was someone who, by God’s leave, displayed the same moral values as the angels and behaved in a holy and superior manner and the statements as “son of God” in the Gospel have taken the love for the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) to a dangerous dimension in time. Christians in question may be thinking that when they accept the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) as a holy servant and prophet of God and as a manifestation of our Lord just like all His other manifestations, they will be betraying him and they will harm the love they have for him. However, this is not an expression of love. Love is not idolizing the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) (God is beyond that.) This is a serious misconception, which results from not being able to understand love of God. One has to take refuge with God from such an understanding. Love is only directed at God Who is Creator and the Sole Owner of all things. This is why the manifestations of our Lord are loved very much. Our love for the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is a sacred and great love, which results from our love of God and the fact that we know the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is also a beautiful manifestation of God.
The fact that the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is a manifestation just like all manifestations created by God would surely not decrease his value. He is a beautiful and sincere servant of God and His beautiful Prophet chosen by our Lord. It is more valuable and beautiful to love him with this superior attribute, for the good pleasure of God. This is the form of love that must be shown.
By God’s leave, in the End Times that we are in, the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) will come to earth again with all of his beauty and light, and explain all of these truths to our Christian brothers and sisters himself. In that time, all Christians will believe in him and in what he tells by God’s leave and all of these false beliefs will be eradicated. Our purpose here is to be able to prepare an environment for him before the coming of the Messiah (pbuh) and to remind the importance of these facts to our Christian brothers and sisters.
