The question is constantly asked in America: “Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?” The specific and unequivocal answer is an emphatic and specific-no!
The foundational spiritual teachings of Islam about Jesus Christ are unequivocally and dramatically contradictory to the foundational spiritual teachings of Christianity about Jesus Christ; and, there is no way to blend, accommodate or compromise either with the other! They are antithetical! Light and darkness! There is no Christianity, or reconciliation with God, without the death of Jesus on the cross! Islam, in the Koran, teaches Jesus did not on the cross! It disputes His WORD!
Why is that an issue? Each religion seemingly is sincere and each teaches some type of basic morality-at least for adherents! True God is LOVE and would have none to perish but all to come out of darkness to the light of the knowledge of the truth in the cross-because it alone provides free forgiveness of sin, free reconciliation with God and free true eternal spiritual life! Man cannot EARN sin forgiveness, reconciliation with God or true eternal spiritual life in any world RELIGION but God will GIVE these blessings for simply believing what He says. Christianity is not a religion. It is TRUTH!
There is no inborn knowledge of the attributes of true God inherent within the being of natural man. Natural man from birth to grave has no concept of how to initiate, identify, approach or communicate with true God! There is nothing natural men can teach each other or share from each other’s minds that reveals true God. In our natural state mankind lives in total spiritual darkness as to true God; and, we die without knowledge of true God unless true God reveals Himself to us! Man does inherently know, however, after accountability, that there is a difference between good and evil but that knowledge cannot give access to God or forgive sin, nor provide reconciliation with true God or provide eternal spiritual life. At best that knowledge is an imperfect guide to our relationship with other men. It is imperfect because not all agree on what is good and what is evil. And, if we perfectly knew it, we could not perfectly do good or perfectly avoid evil.
Individuals can only learn of true God if true God elects to come to us; and, He chooses when and how: we have no ability go to Him. He reveals Himself to us initially by His Word. His Word only originates within Himself, not from within mankind! In ancient times true God revealed Himself to chosen individual men that He chose to reveal Himself to through the means He chose to do it; and, then in the appropriate time He chose to reveal Himself, in the means and extent He chose, to the nation of Israel. He partially revealed Himself through “types” in the Old Testament through His pre-incarnate Word in an earthly worship system in Israel through a chosen earthly man-Moses. Now, to all the world including Israel, God has fully revealed Himself in His incarnate, “antitype”, -Jesus Christ-so that true God might be worshipped in Truth and Spirit-not in earthly “types” of Priests, Temples, Festivals, Sacrifices, Washings and Commandments. God has now set forth the Spiritual anti-types (Fulfillment of the types) in the incarnate and resurrected Jesus Christ
True God fully revealed Himself in Jesus Christ and true God expanded the inner Spiritual truth and life of Himself through His Spirit through and with Jesus Christ. The fullness of the Godhead is now in the resurrected Jesus Christ. Nothing in Islam comes from true God because it is not based on the WORD from God, neither the pre-incarnate WORD nor incarnate and resurrected WORD of God-Jesus Christ.
Islam, in fact, is the ONLY major religion in the world to SPECIFICALLY name Jesus, the incarnate Word of God, and attack Him as a liar! Satan did the same to the Word of God in the Garden of Eden. (Gen 3, 3-4) In the Garden Satan disputed God’s Word and said you will not automatically die! Now in Jesus Satan in Islam disputes God’s Word again and says you will not automatically live through the cross!
The Apostle John, who communicated, walked with, travelled with and observed Jesus for near three (3) years has left us his recollections of things John saw and heard in the Gospel of John. It is not intended as an exhaustive list or complete history but what seemed relevant to record then to the mind of the Holy Spirit speaking through John. It was recorded some 500 years before Mahomet was born and perhaps two (2) thousand years after Moses.
Let’s compare the Bible with the Koran!
John, speaking of Jesus, recorded through the Holy Spirit: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John1:1. And, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1, 14.
Jesus said: “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” John 6, 63; and, “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6, 38-40. Finally, Jesus said, minimally, you must be born in the flesh (but it really gains nothing); but, essentially you must be born in the spirit (it is everything.) You must be born again! We were not born with eternal spiritual life, it was offered but rejected by Adam and Eve in the Tree of Life, but God freely offers it again-this time through the necessity of our cleansing through the cross. Quoting: “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” John 3, 5-8.
Jesus spoke of His Son-ship to God as follows: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16. And: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” (John 14:6) The last statement, uttered by the incarnate Word of God, excludes any other teacher such as Buddha, Confucius, Mohammed, Gandhi, angels, or any religion or philosophy on earth. While the way is exclusive; He is inclusive as He invites the whole world!
As to His actual physical death on the cross and actual resurrection Jesus said: “Behold we are going up to Jerusalem; and the son of man will be delivered to the chief priests, and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and He will be raised on the third day.” Jesus was frank in revealing that forgiveness of sins was entirely-while a gift-in Him in faith: speaking to the Jews He said: “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins; for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” (John 8, 24) Jesus stated eternal life was in Him: “And as Moses lifted up the Serpent in the wilderness, so must the son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.” (John 3, 14) In confirming the Trinity Jesus said: “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit…” (Matt: 28, 18-20,)
Mohammed wrote in his Koran the following quoted specific attacks on Jesus and Jesus’ identity with God and the Trinity: “Unbelievers are those that say: “God is one of three” There is but one God.” (5:73). “So speak of God and His Messengers, but do not speak of a ‘Trinity’ …God is only one God.” (4:171). “Those who say, ‘God is the Messiah, the son of Mary’, are defying the truth.” (5:17). “The Messiah, son of Mary, was no other than a messenger.” (5:75). “The Christians say that the Messiah is the son of Allah…may Allah destroy them.” (9:30).
As to the death and resurrection of Jesus the Koran teaches: “And their saying (my note: speaking of the Jews) : Surely we have killed the Messiah, Isa [Jesus] son of Marium (Mary), the apostle of Allah; and they did not kill him nor did they crucify him, but it appeared to them so (like Isa) and most surely those who differ therein are only in a doubt about it; they have no knowledge respecting it, but only follow a conjecture, and they killed him not for sure” (4:157) Nay! Allah took him up to Himself; and Allah is Mighty, Wise. (4:158)
As to the forgiveness of sin The Koran teaches no one can die for the sins of another: (Suras al-An'am 6:164; al-Isra' 17:15; al-Fatir 35:18; al-Zumar 39:3; al-Najm 53:38), for everybody has to ask for his own forgiveness from the Holy One.
Jesus said about our actions with all humans: “…love your enemies, and pray for those that persecute you.” (Matt: 5, 44). Mohammed says: Arberry: "O believers, take not Jews and Christians as friends; they are friends of each other. Whoso of you makes them his friends is one of them. God guides not the people of the evildoers."
Mohammed’s Koran teaches Jesus Christ is a liar! It is anti-Christ! Beware of the venom of the Serpent-Islam!
As mentioned, the Apostle John walked and talked with the Lord nearly three (3) years. Who knows what all the Lord taught and showed him! John suffered all his life for being faithful to Jesus. But John hated anti-Christ. Do you have greater understanding and love than John? (1 John 2:22-23; 4:1-5; 5:1; 2 John 7-11, KJV) Read what the Apostle Paul had to say about deceivers. He suffered all his life also: beaten, imprisoned, ship wrecked, fought robbers and wild beast and eventually was executed. He hated and pronounced a curse on false teachers who denied the cross of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 1:2-3; 2:1-2: 3:11: Gal 1:8-9.KJV) What did Jesus, the Word of God incarnate in the flesh say about those who disputed Him? (John 8:37-51, KJV.) They were not shy, evasive, timid, inclusive or loving but went to the heart of the issue of those who dispute the incarnate Word,Jesus, His mission, and the cross. Are you wiser, more loving and inclusive than they?
Jim S. Brooks, retired, inactive attorney, SC Bar: #911.