For many Christians, the most challenging aspect of the Baha’i Faith is Baha’u’llah’s claim to be the return of Christ.  Baha’u’llah claimed this plainly and repeatedly- as in the following passage addressed to Christians-

O people of the Gospel! They who were not in the Kingdom have now entered it, whilst We behold you, in this day, tarrying at the gate. Rend the veils asunder by the power of your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Bounteous, and enter, then, in My name My Kingdom. Thus biddeth you He Who desireth for you everlasting life….’

In several other passages, He addresses Christians-

We, verily, have come for your sakes, and have borne the misfortunes of the world for your salvation. Flee ye the One Who hath sacrificed His life that ye may be quickened?… Open the doors of your hearts. He Who is the Spirit (Jesus) verily, standeth before them. Wherefore keep ye afar from Him Who hath purposed to draw you nigh unto a Resplendent Spot? Say: We, in truth, have opened unto you the gates of the Kingdom. Will ye bar the doors of your houses in My face? 

The fundamental theological concept of Baha’u’llah’s Revelation is the idea of progressive revelation.  Revelations from God come to humanity at different times in history, and they represent the unfoldment of One Religion.  Each revelation therefore represents the fulfillment of all those before it, and the Manifestation of God who brings the revelation is the “return” of all the other Manifestations of God that came before. 

When a new Revelation of God comes to humanity, it opens the doors of the “Kingdom of God” and a new garden is outspread before us- and all humanity is invited to enter it and receive the bounties it provides.  Baha’u’llah claimed to have outspread a new garden for our age in history. 

For centuries, Christians have been reading the Gospels as the fulfillment of the scriptures that came before. The “Hebrew Bible” became known as the “Old Testament” to reflect that it represented a previous series of revelations of God, fulfilled in Christ and the “New Testament”.   “Progressive revelation” is therefore inherent in the Christian interpretation of the Bible.  The fact that Baha’u’llah has come to bring a new Revelation simply means that the process of divine revelation did not end with Christ, but has continued. 

For people living in the time of Christ, His claim was extremely challenging. Jewish scripture told of a “king” who would “sit on the throne of David” and restore the rights of the Jewish people.  The idea that the Messiah would be a young prophet from Galillee, with no army and no traditional religious role, was ridiculous to them.  For many in that time, it was not even conceivable that Christ could be true.  They therefore thought little about crucifying him and persecuting His followers. 

For a Christian living today, the idea that the return of Christ was a man born into a Muslim family in 19th century Persia is equally ridiculous.  But Baha’u’llah’s claim and Revelation is magnificent, and if you look at with an open heart and unbiased mind, it opens up a new and wondrous garden before you. 

Another key idea in Baha’u’llah’s Revelation is that we need to make a distinction between the words of the Manifestation of God- those of Christ in this case- and the human scriptural interpretations that came after, and are often taught as being “Christianity”.  Human beings are fallible. They make mistakes, and the scriptural meanings are not always clear.  It is important then, to go back to the words of Christ Himself as that is the root of the tree.  If we are to consider Baha’u’llah’s claim in light of Christ’s teaching, we need to focus on the words of Christ Himself, not traditional scriptural interpretation. After all, if Baha’u’llah is the return of Christ, then it is His Words that are the standard, because He is the same Voice that spoke them the first time. 

In a series of posts, we will explore the Gospels of Jesus and the words of Jesus in light of Baha’u’llah’s Revelation.  We will find that indeed, many passages from the Gospels are illuminated by the perspective that a new Revelation from God brings.  We hope you enjoy the series!

Next post in series- A Voice Crying in the Wilderness