Can God forgive our sins directly, that is, without Jesus Christ? And, is Jesus co-equal to God?

God may want to forgive people directly. However, God's attribute of justice would hinder him. First, God's justice cannot grant forgiveness without punishing sins. Second, suppose God forgives humans directly without retribution. In that case, he must also forgive fallen angels (devils and demons) if and when they seek his forgiveness. In his omniscience, God knows that the devil will never seek forgiveness. Still, God's justice mandates him to grant a similar free will (like human free will) to the devil so that no one can accuse God of injustice. So how can God punish the devil and simultaneously rescue sinful humanity from condemnation? 

 

It would be possible if the holy God (constrains himself and) incarnates as a human to take the punishment for the sins of humans (and not of angels since he is not an angel) on himself. Thereby he could declare people who would trust in his sacrifice forgiven. The following are the main three reasons why God cannot forgive people's sins directly. 

 

1. If God forgave our sins directly when we prayed to him directly from earth, no Muslim will have to go to hell and then, walk over the fine bridge (100 times finer than a strand of hair) to go into paradise. God did not hear your direct plea for forgiveness from Earth itself, that is why you need the "fine bridge walk" from hell to paradise. If God did not answer your direct prayers from the earth, how can you be certain that he will answer your direct prayer for forgiveness from hell?

 

2. If God forgives people directly, that is, without punishing their sins, God will become unjust. We know that God is a just judge. That is why, God cannot forgive your sins if you pray to him directly (without punishing your sins). People fast, give alms, and pray many times a day hoping that God will forgive their sins. If this was sufficient, why would people end up in hell and then, seek a "fine bridge walk" from hell to paradise?

 

3. If God forgives humans directly without punishing their sins, God will have to ignore the devil also in case he seeks God's forgiveness directly. Some people say, "God has created the devil to sin only. He will never repent." My counter question is, "If God created the devil to 'sin only', then the devil is doing God's will for his life. If so, how can God punish the devil for doing what God created him to do?" It will make God unjust. Similarly, some say, "The devil can't seek forgiveness. That is how he is created." If this is true, then also God will become unjust. 

 

God cannot deny the devil the opportunity to seek forgiveness directly if he allows people to do so. If he does so, he will be showing partiality to human beings. Therefore, since God is just, he cannot forgive people's sins directly without punishing their sins. That is why, God created a unique path -Jesus- for people to receive forgiveness for their sins. In Jesus' crucifixion, God has punished human sins. Hence, people can seek forgiveness for their sins through Jesus who has already paid the penalty for their sins. 

 

In doing so, first, God's justice is not violated because God has already punished those sins in Jesus, who was sinless. Second, people will not need the "fine bridge" as their sins are already forgiven and they will be with Jesus in paradise (not in hell). Third, God will not need to forgive the devil's sins because Jesus became a human and died for human sins. Jesus did not come as an angel or die for the sins of angelic beings. So, the devil cannot claim forgiveness through Jesus' sacrifice. 

 

Both the Koran and the Bible agree that the only sinless person –born, lived, and died as innocent– was Jesus Christ. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, God showed people and angels that they do not need violent means to destroy evil. He showed us that hatred, the ultimate evil, is strong; but love is more powerful. In this way, the loving God expressed his love for his creation. There is no greater love than giving one's life on behalf of his friend. Since God cannot die in his eternal form, the only way for him to express this love is by constraining himself into a human form. 

 

Now, some might ask, "Is Jesus equal to God?" My view is God can become a human, but no human can become a God. Jesus is God's son. Children of humans are human. Dogs babies are dogs. Likewise, God's son is God. The reason why the Jewish people wanted to stone Jesus to death was because he called himself God's son and thus, claimed to be co-equal to God (John 5:18). They considered it blasphemy. John writes, "For this reason, they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God."

 

That is why, the Jews and Romans crucified Jesus in the end. The high priest asked Jesus, "Are you the son of the Blessed One?" Jesus did not deny it. The high priest considered it blasphemy against God, which is punishable with the death penalty in Jewish society. Mark writes, "Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?" “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned him as worthy of death." (Mark 14:61b-64)

 

However, the Quran doesn't call Jesus a sinner. It calls him blameless (Sura Maryam 19: 19). Only God is holy and blameless. If Jesus claimed to be God's son, he equated himself to God. Then, according to Jewish beliefs, he blasphemed against God. Even so, the Quran doesn't think so. The Qur'an calls him God's holy prophet and Messiah who did not sin. If so, Jesus' claim of being God's son must be true. Therefore, Jesus is God in human flesh (John 1: 1, 14). Let us examine the birth narratives of Jesus in the Bible and in the Quran respectively.

 

In Luke, Mary asked the angel, “How can I have a baby? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby born to you will be holy, and He will be called the Son of God” (Luke 2: 34, 35). Jesus being conceived by the Holy Spirit is the “spiritual” son of God. In the Qur’anic version when Jibril appeared to the Virgin Mary, he confirmed to her that Allah sent him for only one purpose, to give her a blameless, good son: He said, “Anyway, I am the messenger of your Lord, to grant you a pure boy” (Sura Maryam 19: 19). She said, “How shall I have a son; no man has touched me, neither have I been unchaste” (Suras Maryam 19: 20; see also Al ‘Imran 3: 47). 

 

The Qur’an further adds in Sura al-Anbiya 21: 91, “And she who guarded her virginity; so we breathed into her our spirit and appointed her and her son to be a sign to the worlds.” This famous verse removes several misunderstandings and clarifies that Christ was not born of Mary through Jibril as some claim, but it was Allah himself who breathed into her of his own Spirit! The Spirit of Allah did not procreate Christ through physical intimacy but through the spirit. The Almighty did not breathe Jibril, his sent spirit, into Mary, but of his own Spirit. 

 

Some people think that when God breathed His Spirit into Mary it was much the same way that he breathed into Adam, a created being. In fact, this verse doesn't say that God breathed His own Spirit into Jesus just like he breathed it into Adam after creating his body out of dust. Instead, it says that God breathed His own Spirit into Mary, whereas God breathed his spirit directly into Adam. To be more specific, in Jesus' case, God breathed His own Spirit into Mary’s womb, and a Spirit-being came forth. So we should conclude that the Spirit-being [the person] that came forth as a result is God Himself. 

 

The Qur’an states 16 times that Allah has no son. This is true as long as it means that he has no son sexually. The conception of ‘Isa in Mary was a spiritual act and not a sexual one; therefore, He was born holy and pure. Further, in Sura al-Nisa 4: 171 we read “…’ Isa, the son of Mary, is a messenger of Allah, and His Word that He put into Mary, and a Spirit from Him…” The Qur’an calls the son of Mary “Spirit from Allah”. This term testifies that Christ is not an ordinary man, born of a father and a mother, but He is the incarnation of the Spirit from Allah. The Almighty put His Word and His Spirit into the Virgin Mary. 

 

Therefore, Jesus is more than a prophet- he is the incarnation of God’s word! He is the spiritual son of God! That is why, Jesus claimed all the titles that the Jewish God exclusively took for himself: the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-10; Ezekiel 34; Psalm 23) and the I Am (John 14:6, Exodus 3:14). Jesus used the title *I Am (who I am)* many times, "I am the way, the truth, the life, the light, the true vine, living water, the resurrection, and life." 

 

Jesus accepted people's worship. The healed blind men, the healed lepers, and forgiven sinners worshipped him. Jesus did not hesitate to accept their worship as though he was just a man. Only God can receive worship. Jesus did many miracles like giving life to the lifeless which only God can do. Jesus forgave people's sins. Only God can forgive sins. Finally, Jesus defeated death by rising from the dead. Only God can conquer death. Therefore, Jesus is God. As Thomas worshipped him after seeing his resurrection body, let's bow down and say, "My Lord and My God" (John 20:28).

 

Further, we may understand Father-Son-Holy Spirit using a simple simile. The human body has vital organs like the brain, heart, and liver. Each of them has separate functions, morphology, and anatomy. However, essentially they contain the same DNA, and life force, belong to the same person, and work in coordination. One might say that the brain governs the liver and heart functionally. Still, all three work for the same purpose and are interdependent. For example, the brain will die if the heart doesn’t pump blood. Likewise, Father-Son-Holy Spirit is one being. Father and Son and the Holy Spirit are essentially the same. Still, functionally and positionally, they play different roles in the Godhead.