The Objection Needs a More Careful Answer Than Many Christians Give

The Islamic objection often says, “Jesus never said the exact words, ‘I am God,’ so why do you worship Him?” A weak Christian response is to rush immediately to every passage where someone bows before Jesus, translate the Greek verb proskuneō as “worship,” and then insist that every such bow proves that the person understood Jesus to be God in the fullest theological sense. That response is too quick. It can be answered easily by anyone who knows the range of the Greek word and the historical setting of first-century Judaism. The better answer is not to overstate the evidence. The better answer is to read the text by the Historical-Grammatical method, asking what the inspired author meant by the words he used, what the setting was, what expectations shaped the people, and how the Gospel itself develops the identity of Jesus.

This correction does not deny that Jesus is divine. It does not deny that Jesus is the eternal Son, the Word who became flesh, the one through whom the Father reveals Himself. It does not weaken the biblical doctrine that Jesus is far more than an ordinary prophet. It simply insists that the case should not be built on an imprecise claim. In many New Testament passages, people who approached Jesus were not thinking in later theological categories. They were Jews living in expectation of the Messiah. Gospel of Luke 3:15 says, “Now while the people were in expectation, and all were reasoning in their hearts about John, whether he might be the Christ.” That statement is crucial. The people were not walking around expecting “God” to arrive as a second divine being beside Jehovah. They were expecting the Christ, the Messiah, the promised Davidic deliverer, the royal Son, the one through whom Jehovah would act for Israel.

Therefore, when the article answers the objection, it must not pretend that every act of bowing before Jesus automatically means that the person had a fully developed understanding of His divine identity. The Gospels show a progressive unveiling of Jesus’ identity. Some see Him as teacher. Some see Him as prophet. Some confess Him as the Christ. Some recognize Him as the Son of God. Some are confused by Him. Some oppose Him. His disciples themselves grow in understanding. The article must respect that development. It must show that Jesus is divine from the whole witness of Scripture, not from a careless use of one English gloss for one Greek word.

The Meaning of Proskuneō Must Be Handled Honestly

The Greek word proskuneō can refer to worship directed to God, but it can also refer to bowing, homage, obeisance, or reverential submission before a ruler, master, or person of superior rank. Context determines the sense. It is not sound exegesis to say that wherever proskuneō appears in connection with Jesus, it must mean divine worship. That argument goes beyond what the word itself proves. A servant could fall before a king. A desperate petitioner could bow before someone with authority. A person could show profound respect without intending worship in the absolute sense due only to Jehovah.

Gospel of Matthew 18:26 uses this kind of language in Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving slave. The slave falls down before his master in an act of pleading submission. No one would claim that the slave is worshiping his master as God. The act expresses dependence, humility, and recognition of authority. This illustrates why each occurrence must be read in context. The physical act of bowing does not automatically settle the theological identity of the one bowed to.

This point matters when responding to Islamic objections. A Muslim apologist can rightly object if a Christian argues, “People bowed to Jesus; therefore they worshiped Him as God; therefore the case is settled.” That argument is not careful enough. A stronger and more faithful answer is this: the acts of bowing before Jesus show reverence, submission, and recognition of extraordinary authority, often Messianic authority. Those actions fit the growing recognition that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. They are part of the larger picture, but they should not be isolated and made to carry more weight than the text itself gives them.

For example, Gospel of Matthew 2:2 records the magi saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” In that setting, the explicit title is “king of the Jews.” Their action is royal homage toward the child born King. The passage is deeply significant, but the historical-grammatical reading begins with the author’s stated category: kingship. It is not necessary to deny that Matthew’s Gospel contains a higher Christology. It plainly does. But one must not flatten the passage and treat royal homage as though the magi were reciting a later doctrinal formula.

The same care should be used with other passages. Gospel of Matthew 14:33 says that after Jesus walked on the sea and the wind ceased, those in the boat bowed before Him and said, “Truly you are the Son of God.” Their confession is not trivial. They have witnessed authority over nature, something only Jehovah ultimately commands. Yet their spoken confession is “Son of God,” and within the Messianic framework that title carries royal, representative, and divine significance. The passage should be allowed to say exactly what it says. It does not need to be inflated beyond its words. The disciples are not giving a classroom lecture on the incarnation; they are responding to the astonishing authority of Jesus and confessing Him in the categories available to them.

First-Century Jews Were Expecting the Messiah

The Gospels must be read inside the expectation of Israel. The Jews were not waiting for a vague religious teacher. They were waiting for the Christ. Gospel of John 1:41 records Andrew saying to Simon Peter, “We have found the Messiah.” Gospel of John 1:45 records Philip saying, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth.” Gospel of Luke 2:25 says Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel. Gospel of Luke 2:38 speaks of those waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. These are Messianic expectations rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures.

That expectation included the promise of a Davidic king. Second Samuel 7:12-14 promised that David’s offspring would have a kingdom established by Jehovah. Psalm 2:6-7 presents Jehovah’s anointed king and says, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.” Psalm 110:1 says, “Jehovah says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’” Daniel 7:13-14 describes one like a son of man receiving dominion, glory, and a kingdom, so that all peoples, nations, and languages serve him. These texts created an expectation of a royal, exalted, heavenly-authorized figure. They did not lead ordinary Jews to expect a second god beside Jehovah. They led them to expect Jehovah’s appointed Messiah.

This is why the title Son of God must be handled carefully. In Scripture, “son” language can refer to likeness, representation, appointment, kingship, covenant relationship, and shared nature depending on context. Israel is called Jehovah’s son in Exodus 4:22. The Davidic king is called God’s son in Second Samuel 7:14 and Psalm 2:7. Believers are sons of God by adoption. Jesus, however, is the Son uniquely and eternally. The Gospels reveal this progressively. The people may begin with Messianic categories, but the inspired record leads the reader to a higher recognition: the Messiah is not merely a human king. He is the eternal Son sent by the Father.

Therefore, the article should not say, “The Jews bowed to Jesus because they already knew He was God in the fullest sense.” That is too broad. It should say that the Jews were expecting the Messiah, and Jesus fulfilled that expectation in a way that surpassed their understanding. He was the Messiah, but not merely the Messiah in a reduced political sense. He was the Son sent from the Father, the Word made flesh, the one who reveals the Father, gives life, exercises judgment, and receives honor because the Father has granted Him that role.

Jesus Constantly Directed Attention to the Father

The Islamic objection becomes stronger when Christians ignore how consistently Jesus directs attention to the Father. The Gospels do not present Jesus as a self-promoting religious figure who demands independent attention. He speaks as the Son sent by the Father. He obeys the Father. He prays to the Father. He teaches His disciples to pray to the Father. He says His teaching is from the Father. He says His works are from the Father. He glorifies the Father. Any article answering Islam must take that evidence seriously.

Gospel of Matthew 6:9 records Jesus teaching His disciples to pray, “Our Father in heaven, let your name be sanctified.” The prayer is addressed to the Father. Gospel of John 4:23 says, “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for indeed the Father seeks such ones to worship him.” Jesus does not say, “The true worshipers will worship Me instead of the Father.” He directs worship to the Father. Gospel of John 17:3 records Jesus praying, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent.” The distinction between the Father who sends and Jesus Christ who is sent is central to John’s Gospel.

Gospel of John 5:19 says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of himself, unless it is something he sees the Father doing.” Gospel of John 5:30 says, “I can do nothing of myself. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is righteous, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me.” Gospel of John 7:16 says, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.” Gospel of John 8:28 says, “I do nothing of myself, but as the Father taught me, I speak these things.” Gospel of John 14:28 says, “the Father is greater than I.” These passages must not be brushed aside. They are not embarrassing details. They are part of the inspired presentation of the Son’s obedient mission.

This does not mean Jesus is not divine. It means His divine Sonship is expressed in perfect obedience, not in rivalry with the Father. The Son does not seek independent glory against the Father. He reveals the Father. Gospel of John 1:18 says that the only-begotten Son, who is at the Father’s side, has explained Him. Gospel of John 14:9 records Jesus saying, “He who has seen me has seen the Father.” That statement does not erase the Father-Son distinction. It means the Son reveals the Father perfectly. Jesus gives all glory to the Father because He is the obedient Son, not because He is a mere prophet.

Jesus Never Commands People to Pray to Him as the Father

Another needed correction concerns prayer. The dominant pattern of Scripture is prayer to the Father through the Son. Jesus teaches prayer to the Father in Gospel of Matthew 6:9. He speaks of asking the Father in His name in Gospel of John 16:23, saying, “If you ask the Father for anything in my name, he will give it to you.” The Son is not bypassed; His name is central. But the direction of prayer is plainly to the Father. The Son is the mediator, the one through whom access to the Father is granted.

This matters apologetically. It is not wise to defend Christianity by implying that Jesus walked through Galilee demanding that people bow down to Him and pray to Him. That is not how the Gospels present His ministry. He calls people to follow Him, believe in Him, obey His words, confess Him, and come to the Father through Him. Gospel of John 14:6 says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.” That is a staggering claim, but it remains Father-directed. Jesus is the exclusive way to the Father, not a rival object of devotion detached from the Father.

Gospel of John 14:13 says, “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” The purpose is that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Philippians 2:11 says every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord “to the glory of God the Father.” That pattern should govern the article. The Son is honored, confessed, trusted, and obeyed in a way no mere creature could rightly be. Yet this honor is always tied to the Father’s will and glory.

Thomas’ Confession Should Not Be Used Carelessly

Gospel of John 20:28 records Thomas saying to Jesus, “My Lord and my God.” This is an important verse, but it should not be used carelessly or as though the entire case for Jesus’ divine identity rests on this one statement. A historical-grammatical reading must observe the details. Thomas had refused to believe unless he saw the mark of the nails and put his hand into Jesus’ side. Then the risen Jesus appeared, though the doors were locked, and addressed Thomas directly. Gospel of John 20:27 records Jesus saying, “Bring your finger here, and see my hands; and bring your hand, and put it into my side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas then answered.

The wording “Thomas answered and said to him” matters. This is stronger than a modern expression such as “Oh my God!” uttered into the air. Thomas is responding to Jesus. Still, the verse should not be treated as a detached proof text isolated from the Gospel’s argument. John has been leading the reader toward faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. Gospel of John 20:31 says, “but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” Thomas’ confession belongs inside that stated purpose. It is not a random exclamation; nor should it be made to override the entire Father-Son framework of the Gospel.

The article should therefore say this carefully. Thomas’ words are a climactic confession in John’s Gospel, but they must be interpreted in harmony with John’s repeated distinction between the Father and the Son. John does not teach that Jesus is the Father. John does not teach that Jesus seeks worship apart from the Father. John teaches that the Word was with God and was God, that the Word became flesh, that the Son was sent by the Father, that the Son reveals the Father, and that life is received through believing in the Son. Thomas’ confession fits that whole structure.

This reading is much stronger than saying, “Thomas called Jesus God; therefore nothing else matters.” Everything matters. Gospel of John 1:1 matters. Gospel of John 1:14 matters. Gospel of John 5:19-23 matters. Gospel of John 8:58 matters. Gospel of John 10:30 matters. Gospel of John 14:28 matters. Gospel of John 17:3 matters. Gospel of John 20:28 matters. Gospel of John 20:31 matters. The doctrine of Christ must be drawn from the full inspired testimony, not from one verse used without context.

The Stronger Argument Is Not Bowing but Identity, Authority, and Mission

Once the article stops overusing proskuneō, the stronger biblical argument becomes clearer. Jesus’ identity is revealed through His relation to the Father, His preexistence, His authority to give life, His role in judgment, His unique Sonship, and His fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures. This is where the case should be built.

Gospel of John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Gospel of John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” This is not a statement about a mere prophet. It presents the Word as preexistent, personally distinct from God, and yet divine. The Word becomes flesh, meaning the eternal Son truly enters human life. This is the foundation for saying that Jesus is far more than a prophet while still preserving the distinction between the Father and the Son.

Gospel of John 5:21 says, “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, even so the Son also gives life to whom he wishes.” A prophet can announce resurrection. A prophet can pray for Jehovah to act. Jesus says the Son gives life as the Father gives life. Gospel of John 5:22 says the Father has given all judgment to the Son. Gospel of John 5:23 gives the purpose: “so that all will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.” This is one of the strongest passages in the Gospel. The Father Himself requires honor for the Son. Yet the honor of the Son is not detached from the Father. Dishonoring the Son dishonors the Father who sent Him.

Gospel of John 8:58 records Jesus saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” This statement goes beyond ordinary Messianic expectation. Jesus does not merely say He is greater than Abraham. He places His existence before Abraham and uses language that forces the reader to confront His preexistence. Gospel of John 17:5 confirms this when Jesus prays, “And now, Father, glorify me together with yourself, with the glory which I had with you before the world was.” No mere prophet had glory with the Father before the world existed. Jesus’ mission in time rests on His preexistent relationship with the Father.

Gospel of John 10:30 records Jesus saying, “I and the Father are one.” The immediate context concerns the security of the sheep. Gospel of John 10:28 says Jesus gives them eternal life and no one will snatch them out of His hand. Gospel of John 10:29 says no one can snatch them out of the Father’s hand. Then Jesus says He and the Father are one. The unity here is not a claim that Jesus is the same person as the Father. It is unity of power, work, and saving purpose. The Jews understand the claim as extraordinary, and Gospel of John 10:33 records their charge: “you, being a man, make yourself God.” Jesus’ answer does not retreat into mere prophethood. He points to His works from the Father and says in Gospel of John 10:38, “the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”

This is the better apologetic path. The article should not rely on the claim that every bow before Jesus equals worship. It should show that Jesus’ words and works reveal a unique divine identity in obedient relation to the Father. That is harder for an informed critic to dismiss.

Jesus’ Humility Does Not Deny His Divine Identity

Islamic objections often collect passages where Jesus humbles Himself before the Father and then argue that He cannot be divine. But the Gospels present humility as part of His mission, not as evidence that He is merely a man. Gospel of Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus’ humility is voluntary service. He does not grasp for attention. He gives Himself in obedience.

Philippians 2:6-8 explains this with great clarity. Christ existed in the form of God, yet He did not use that status for self-exaltation. He emptied Himself by taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and becoming obedient to death. The emptying is not a loss of deity. It is the taking of the servant role. The Son’s humility is not a denial of His divine identity; it is the expression of His obedient mission.

This also explains why Jesus gives attention to the Father. He is not competing with the Father for glory. He glorifies the Father. Gospel of John 8:50 says, “I do not seek my glory.” Gospel of John 8:54 says, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing; it is my Father who glorifies me.” This is not the speech of a mere prophet trying to deny any higher identity. It is the speech of the Son who receives glory from the Father rather than seizing it independently. In Scripture, the Son’s glory comes from the Father and returns to the Father.

Gospel of John 13:31-32 says, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and will glorify him immediately.” The Father and the Son are not rivals. The Son’s obedience glorifies the Father; the Father glorifies the Son. That Father-Son relation is the heart of John’s Christology.

The Title “Lord” Must Also Be Read in Context

The word “Lord” can also carry a range of meaning. It can mean “sir,” “master,” “owner,” “king,” or divine Lord depending on context. Therefore, the article should not treat every use of “Lord” as though it automatically means the speaker has identified Jesus as Jehovah. Mary Magdalene can say “Lord” in one setting with one level of understanding, Thomas can say “my Lord and my God” in a climactic resurrection setting, and apostolic preaching can proclaim Jesus as Lord in the fullest exalted Messianic sense. Context governs meaning.

Gospel of Luke 6:46 records Jesus saying, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” Here “Lord” involves obedience to His authority. Gospel of Matthew 7:21 says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of the heavens, but he who does the will of my Father who is in the heavens.” Again, Jesus links confession of Him as Lord with doing the Father’s will. The Father remains central. Yet obedience to Jesus is essential.

Acts of Apostles 2:36 says, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Peter does not preach Jesus as an independent deity beside Jehovah. He preaches that God has made the crucified and risen Jesus both Lord and Christ. The exaltation of Jesus is Jehovah’s act. The response required from Israel is repentance and acceptance of the Messiah whom they rejected.

This preserves biblical monotheism while affirming the exalted authority of Jesus. The early Christian confession “Jesus is Lord” is not empty politeness, but neither should it be ripped out of Israel’s Messianic framework. It means the crucified Jesus has been vindicated, exalted, and appointed by God as Lord and Christ.

The Article Should Grant the Narrow Point and Deny the False Conclusion

A more durable apologetic answer should be willing to say: Islam is not wrong to object when Christians overclaim from proskuneō. The verb does not always mean divine worship. First-century Jews were expecting the Messiah, not walking around with a fully developed doctrine of the incarnation in their minds. Jesus directed prayer to the Father, taught worship of the Father, obeyed the Father, and never presented Himself as a rival to the Father. Those points are true and should be acknowledged.

But the Islamic conclusion does not follow. It does not follow that Jesus is merely a prophet. It does not follow that the New Testament denies His divine identity. It does not follow that Christians invented His exalted status later. The same Gospel that shows Jesus directing attention to the Father also says the Word was God, the Word became flesh, the Son gives life, the Son judges, the Son is to be honored as the Father is honored, the Son existed before Abraham, and the Son shared glory with the Father before the world existed.

The Islamic argument often succeeds only against careless Christian arguments. It does not succeed against the full Gospel witness. If Christians say, “People bowed to Jesus, so that proves everything,” they have made themselves vulnerable. If Christians say, “The Gospels progressively reveal Jesus as the Messiah, the Son sent by the Father, the preexistent Word, the life-giver, judge, and final revealer of God,” then the argument stands on firmer ground.

John’s Gospel Does Not Lower Jesus but Reveals Him Through the Father

The Gospel of John is especially important because it contains both the strongest statements of Jesus’ divine identity and the clearest statements of His obedience to the Father. The same Gospel says “the Word was God” in Gospel of John 1:1 and “the Father is greater than I” in Gospel of John 14:28. The same Gospel says the Son gives life in Gospel of John 5:21 and that the Son can do nothing of Himself in Gospel of John 5:19. The same Gospel records Thomas’ confession in Gospel of John 20:28 and Jesus’ prayer to the only true God in Gospel of John 17:3. A faithful interpretation must hold all of this together.

The solution is not to choose one set of verses and ignore the other. The solution is to understand the Father-Son relation. Jesus is not the Father. Jesus is not a second god. Jesus is not a mere prophet. Jesus is the Son sent by the Father, the Word made flesh. His authority is received from the Father, His mission is obedient to the Father, His works reveal the Father, and His glory is given by the Father. This is why Jesus truly God in the flesh must be explained with care. The incarnation does not mean the Father became flesh. It means the eternal Son became man while remaining in perfect relation to the Father.

Gospel of John 1:18 says, “No one has seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has explained him.” This verse supplies the center. Jesus explains the Father because He comes from the Father and uniquely knows the Father. Gospel of Matthew 11:27 says, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one fully knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone fully know the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal him.” A mere prophet does not possess exclusive mutual knowledge with the Father. Jesus’ humility and Father-directed mission do not reduce Him; they reveal who He is.

A Better Revision of the Worship Argument

The article should revise its argument in this direction: when the Gospels describe people bowing before Jesus, those scenes should be read first as acts of obeisance, reverence, or royal homage unless the context clearly indicates more. Such actions are fitting toward the Messiah, the Son of David, the miracle-working Son of God, and the one who bears Jehovah’s authority. They are not by themselves sufficient to prove that every person involved understood Jesus’ divine identity fully.

However, those scenes do belong within a larger Gospel presentation that leads the reader to recognize Jesus as more than a prophet. The reverence shown to Jesus is not corrected by Him as sinful because it is directed toward the one whom the Father sent, authorized, and glorified. Jesus does not demand independent worship; He receives honor in relation to the Father’s will. Gospel of John 5:23 says all must honor the Son just as they honor the Father, and the reason is that the Father has given judgment to the Son. The Father Himself establishes the Son’s honor.

This makes the Christian answer more precise. Christians should not say, “Jesus is God because people bowed.” Christians should say, “People bowed before Jesus because they recognized His authority, often His Messianic authority; and the Gospels reveal that this Messiah is far more than they first understood, for He is the preexistent Son who reveals the Father, gives life, judges mankind, and is glorified by the Father.”

Jesus as Messiah Does Not Mean Jesus as Mere Man

The article must also avoid the opposite error. Some will say, “Since the Jews expected Messiah, not God, Jesus must be merely a man.” That is also false. The fact that the people’s expectation centered on Messiah does not limit who the Messiah turned out to be. Scripture often reveals more than people initially understood. The disciples expected the kingdom but did not understand the cross. They confessed Jesus as Christ but struggled to understand His death and resurrection. Their limited expectation did not define the full reality.

Gospel of Matthew 16:16 records Peter saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Gospel of Matthew 16:17 says that the Father revealed this to him. Yet immediately afterward, when Jesus spoke of His coming suffering and death, Peter rebuked Him and had to be corrected. Peter had true revelation and incomplete understanding at the same time. That pattern is important. A person can rightly confess Jesus as Messiah and still need deeper understanding of what that means.

After the resurrection, the disciples’ understanding expands. Gospel of Luke 24:44-46 records Jesus explaining that everything written about Him in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms had to be fulfilled, including His suffering and resurrection. Acts of Apostles 1:6 shows that they still ask about the restoration of the kingdom to Israel. Their Messianic expectation remains, but it is being corrected and enlarged by Jesus’ teaching. The risen Christ is not less than Messiah; He is Messiah understood according to Jehovah’s full purpose.

The Final Shape of the Answer to Islam

The answer to the Islamic objection should be firm but accurate. Jesus did not walk through Galilee saying the exact English sentence, “I am God.” He did not command people to pray to Him instead of the Father. He did not present Himself as a rival deity. He did not seek glory independently from the Father. He consistently directed worship, prayer, obedience, and glory toward the Father.

Yet Jesus also did not speak as a mere prophet. He claimed preexistence before Abraham. He claimed a glory with the Father before the world existed. He claimed to give life. He claimed authority over final judgment. He claimed that all must honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He forgave sins with authority. He said He is the way, the truth, and the life. He said no one comes to the Father except through Him. He said He and the Father are one. He identified Himself as the Son of Man who would sit at the right hand of Power and come with the clouds of heaven. He rose from the dead and was proclaimed as Lord and Christ.

Therefore, the article’s argument should not be, “Jesus was worshiped in every bowing scene, and that settles it.” The argument should be, “Jesus was revered as Messiah in a Jewish setting, and the inspired Gospels progressively reveal that the Messiah is the eternal Son sent by the Father. His authority, identity, preexistence, life-giving power, judgment role, and unique Father-Son relation prove that He is far more than a prophet, while His own teaching keeps all honor properly directed to the Father through the Son.”

That answer cannot be dismissed by pointing out the lexical range of proskuneō. It already grants that point. It cannot be dismissed by saying first-century Jews expected the Messiah. It already builds from that expectation. It cannot be dismissed by saying Jesus prayed to the Father and taught others to pray to the Father. It fully affirms that fact. The question then becomes whether the Messiah revealed in the Gospels is merely human or uniquely divine. The Gospel witness answers: He is the Christ, the Son of God, the Word made flesh, the one sent by the Father so that believing in His name one may have life.

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