Both religions teach the existence of one God; that is, there are not many gods but one supreme God who rules over the universe. He is the only One. However, it is not true that the God of Christianity and the god of Islam are one and the same.
The views that are held in the makeup of the Godhead prove that the God of Christianity and the god of Islam are not the same, that one of these is God and the other an imposter. Christianity teaches that God is one God in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each has the same qualities and the same makeup or essence. An illustration that is used to explain the Trinity is that of a triangle. A triangle is a polygon, a closed figure, with three sides and three angles or corners. This can picture for us the makeup of the Trinity.
Observe that the triangle is one figure with three corners. God is One God
(one triangle) and manifests Himself in three persons (three corners). Here
are some Scriptures which support this:
God is One God:
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is One Lord [Jehovah]."
(Deuteronomy 6:4)"I am the Lord [Jehovah], and there is none else, there is no
God beside Me." (Isaiah 45:5).
"One Lord" -- The Hebrew reads "One Jehovah." From Robert Young's Literal Translation of the Bible (Grand Rapids: Guardian Press, 1976) 124.
"And there is no God else beside Me, a just God and a Savior,
there is none beside Me." (Isaiah 45:21)
He created and He owns all things:
"And Abram said to the king of Salem, I have lifted up my
hand unto the Lord, the Most High God, the possessor of
heaven and earth." (Genesis 14:22)"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
(Genesis 1:1)"Thus saith God, the Lord, He Who created the heavens, and
stretched them out; He who spread forth the earth, and that
which comes out of it; He who gives breath unto the people
upon it, and spirit to them that walk in it." (Isaiah 42:5)"If I were hungry, I would not tell thee; for the world is Mine,
and the fullness thereof." (Psalm 50:12)
There are three Persons in the Godhead:
"And The Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of
us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand,
and take also of the tree of life" (Genesis 3:22)."Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is liberty." (2 Corinthisns 3:17)."God is Spirit; and they that worship Him must worship Him in
spirit and in truth." (John 4:24)"But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send
in My name, He will teach you all things and will remind you
of everything I myself said unto you." (John 14:26)"I and My Father are one [in essence]." (John 10:30)
"In the beginning was the Word [Jesus-the Son of God] and
the Word was with God, and the Word was God…All things
were made by Him; and without from Him, was not anything
made that was made." (John 1:1,3)" and without Him was not anything made that was made." This can be translated direct from the Greek as, "apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being." This means the Word, Who is
"Go, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
(Matthew 28:19-20)."No man has seen God at any time; the only Begotten Son,
Who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared Him."
(John 1:18)"The Spirit of God has made me and the breath of the Almighty
has given me life." (Job 33:4)
These Scriptures when placed together declare that God is one God in three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. "… 'distinguishable, but indivisible.' In every attribute of Deity: Co-equal and co-eternal. In personality and work: Always united in perfect harmony and fellowship."
It is essential to understand that there are three Persons in the Godhead. That God came to earth and "clothed" Himself in a human flesh and blood body is central to the salvation of man. There was no hope that any other than the Son of God could deliver man from the bondage of evil. Fallen man was destined to perish-unless God did something to alter man's situation. The place and honor that is given to Jesus in both religions show their enormous differences. The crushing blow to the religion of Islam centers in the denial of Islam that: "Allah has no Son." Here are five references for this from the Quran:
"They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is the Messiah,
son of Mary. The Messiah (himself) said: O Children of Israel,
worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Lo! whoso ascribeth
partners unto Allah, for him Allah hath forbidden Paradise.
His abode is the Fire. For evildoers there will be no helpers."
"They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is the third of
three; when there is no God save the one God. If they desist
not from so saying a painful doom will fall on those of them
who disbelieve." (Surah 5:72-73)"The Messiah, son of Mary, was no other than a messenger…
See how we make the revelations clear for them." (Surah 5:75)"And the Jews say: Ezra is the son of Allah, and the Christians
say: The Messiah is the son of Allah. That is their saying with
their mouths.They imitate the saying of those who disbelieved
of old. Allah (Himself) fighteth against them. How perverse
are they!" (Surah 9:30)"Say (O Muhammad); The Beneficent One hath no son."
(Surah 43:81)"O People of the Scripture! Do not exaggerate in your religion
nor utter aught concerning Allah save the truth. The Messiah,
Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of Allah, and his
word which he conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him.
So believe in Allah and His messengers, and say not "Three"
-Cease ! (it is) better for you!-Allah is only One God. Far
is it removed from His transcendent majesty that He should
have a son." (Surah 4:171)
Jesus,
created all things. Scripture already given declares that in the beginning
God created all things; therefore, Jesus is God-but He is God the Son (or
the Son of God).
"Who is in the bosom of the Father." In the Greek the word translated
"is," is a present participle and may be translated "being,
or existing." Thus this phrase may also be translated, "Who being
or existing in the bosom of the Father."
From the coming book, Your Eternal Destiny, by R. L. Schall
When comparing the Scriptures from the Christian Bible and the Quran it can be easily seen that there is an unbridgeable difference in the main area that separates these two religions. From these Scriptures alone it can only be concluded that the references to God on the part of Christianity and to Allah on the part of Islam do not both refer to the One and Only True God. The Islamic religion even denies that Jesus was crucified.
"And because of their saying: We slew the Messiah Jesus
son of Mary, Allah's messenger-They slew him not nor
crucified, but it appeared so unto them; and lo! those who
disagree concerning it are in doubt thereof; they have no
knowledge thereof save pursuit of a conjecture; they slew
him not for certain. But Allah took him up unto Himself."
(Surah 4:157-8)
Several dozen Scriptures in the Christian Bible speak of the crucifixion of Jesus for the sins of man on a cross at Calvary. Here is a principal account of His crucifixion.
Pilate said unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief
priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. Then delivered
he Him, therefore, unto them to be crucified. And they took
Jesus, and led Him away. And He, bearing His cross, went
forth to the place called that of the Skull, which is called in
Hebrew Golgotha, Where they crucified Him, and two
others with Him, on either side one, and Jesus in the middle…
Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His
garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; also
His coat. Now the coat was without seam, woven from the
top throughout. They said, therefore, among themselves, Let
us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be; that the
Scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted My
raiment among them and for My vesture they did cast lots.
These things, therefore, the soldiers did. Now there stood by
the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary,
the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene…After this Jesus,
knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the
Scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst…When Jesus,
therefore, had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished;
and He bowed His head, and gave up the spirit…Then
came the soldiers and broke the legs of the first, and of the
other who was crucified with him. But when they came to
Jesus, and saw that He was dead already, they broke not
His legs; But one of the soldiers, with a spear, pierced His
side, and immediately came there out blood and water.
And he that saw it bore witness, and his witness is true; and
he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For
these things were done, that the Scripture should be fulfilled,
A bone of Him shall not be broken. And again, another
Scripture saith, They shall look on Him whom they pierced
…Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in
linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to
bury. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a
garden; and in the garden a new sepulcher, in which was
never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus, therefore,
because of the Jew's preparation day was near at hand."
(John 19:15b-18,23-25,28,30,32-37,40-42)
The entire gospel of the Christian Church is centered in the sacrifice of the Lamb of God for the sins of the people.Not only is it absolutely essential that Jesus died for the sinner, but His resurrection was necessary to prove that the Father accepted the blood sacrifice of His Son as a propitiation for man's sins. The great apostle Paul made this clear:
"And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain [for] you [then]
remain in your sins." (1 Corinthians 15:16)
After Jesus had come forth from the grave he appeared to many over a period of 50 days before His departure to be with His Father. Was this the same Jesus that was crucified on Golgotha? Here what transpired when Jesus appeared to Thomas. Following an appearance by Jesus to His disciples, Thomas being absent, the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord." Here is Thomas' reply:
"Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put
my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into
His side, I will not believe." (John 20:25)
Eight days later, when the disciples were inside a building with the doors locked. This time Thomas was with them. Suddenly, Jesus stood in their midst and commanded peace unto them. Hear what the Lord said to Thomas and Thomas' reply:
"Then said he (Jesus) to Thomas, Reach here thy finger, and
behold my hands; and reach here they hand, and thrust it into
My side; and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas
answered, and said unto Him, My Lord and my God. Jesus
said unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou has
believed; blessed are they that have not seen (Me as you have),
and yet have believed." (John 20:27-29)
As we have said, there are many Scriptures that relate to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. This is the cornerstone of the Christian faith.
"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I
am chief." (1 Timothy 1:15)"John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto
you, and peace, from Him who is, and Who was, and Who is
to come, and from the seven spirits who are before His throne,
And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first begotten
of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. Unto Him
Who loves us and washed us from our sins in His own blood."
(Revelation 1:4-5)
Judge for yourself. Is Jesus the Son of God? Was He crucified? Did He rise from the dead? If your answer is in the affirmative, then Islam is a false religion and the Allah of Islam is a false god. A friend of ours has said: "You can not put your butt on two chairs at the same time." One of these major religions is a lie of the enemy of man. We know that it is Islam that is one of the greatest deceptions and tools of the enemy to keep hundreds of millions of souls from finding out there need of the only Savior of man and that He is the Lord Jesus Christ, the very Son of God.
Now consider what the Christian Bible reveals that the Father said regarding this Jesus of Nazareth. There is the testimony out of heaven to John the Baptist at the baptism of Jesus in regard to His identity:
"And, lo, a voice from heaven, saying, This is My beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17)
And there is another witness given of Jesus, after he had told the disciples of His coming death and resurrection, at the time of His transfiguration when "His face did shine as the sun and His raiment was as white as the light." Moses and Elijah appeared with him and talked to Him, and Peter, James and John witnessed to this incident. When Peter suggested three tabernacles be made for them, as he was still speaking, a cloud overshadowed them and a voice spoke from out of it and said:
"This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear
ye Him." (Matthew 17:5).
In many places in the Christian Bible Jesus is called and he calls himself the Son of God. In the book of Colossians His true identity is also recognized.
"Who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; For
by Him were all things created, that are in the heavens and that are in the
earth, the invisible and the invisible, whether they be thrones, or
dominions, or principalities, or powers-all things were created by him,
and for him; and He is before all things and by Him all things consist."
(Colossians 1:15-17).
In the book of John, Jesus said of Himself: "Before Abraham was I am." (John 8:58). The Jews knew exactly what Jesus meant by this. They knew that if He existed before Abraham did, than He was claiming to be God. What was their response.? They took up stones to stone Him. They considered this blasphemy. He claimed to be God, and here he was a man in a flesh and bones and blood body. In another place Jesus claimed that He was one with the Father.(John 10:30), and the Jews were very angry and again took up stones to stone Him. Throughout the New Testament, Jesus is recognized by the writers and others as the Son of God and gave Him honor.
The only honor that is given to Jesus by the Quran is that Jesus is considered to be one of the many prophets that Allah sent to give messages to the people. The Compact Guide To World Religions states that: "According to the Quran, God has sent a prophet to every nation to preach the message of there being only one God. In all, 124,000 prophets have been sent, according to tradition. Most are unknown…but include biblical characters such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, Jonah, John the Baptist, and Jesus."
According to Hammudah Abdalati, author of Islam in Focus:
"All
the prophets of God [Allah] were men of good character
and high honor…Their honesty and truthfulness, their
intelligence and integrity are beyond doubt…A Muslim accepts
all the prophets previous to Muhammad without discrimination."
Of Muhammad, Caesar Farrah wrote:
"Muhammad considered himself a prophet in the true biblical
line…Muhammad believed he was called to deliver the
message of God to his own people and also to set straight
distortions in the Scriptures grafted on the message of God
by Jews and Christians."
The Quran declares Muhammad to be "the seal of the prophets."
"Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but
he is the messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets;
and Allah is aware of all things." (Surah 33:40)
"consist"
-- are held together or are sustained.
The Compact Guide To World Religions, Dean C. Halverson gen. ed. (Minneapolis,
Bethany House Publishers, l996) 106.
Norman Geisler & Abdul Saleeb, Answering Islam (Grand Rapids: Baker Books,
1993) 52
To be referenced as the "Seal of the Prophets" gives to Muhammad the rank as the greatest of the prophets and the final one.
"According
to orthodox Islam, prophethood is the height of
God's activity in the world, and since with Muhammad God
closed the office of prophethood this was the greatest honor
that God could bestow on a human being. For Muslims,
therefore, Muhammad is the last and the greatest of all
prophets."
Traditionally, Islam teachers hold that Muhammad lived an admirable life. According to Geisler & Saleeb, two of the chief proofs of the position he holds as the greatest of the prophets is this:
"That
his life and character prove him to have been the last
and the greatest of the prophets [and] that the rapid spread of
Islam shows that God Most High sent it [Islam] as his final
revelation to men."
We summarize what has been presented thus far:
·
The God of Christianity and Allah of Islam are not the same
nor equal. One is God, and the other is an imposter.
· Christianity holds that there is one God in three Persons (of
the Godhead).
· Islam rejects the Trinity, that Jesus is the Son of God, and
that He was crucified.
· In order for Islam to hold that Muhammad is the greatest of
the prophets this is necessarily declaring that he is greater
than Jesus.
……to be continued
Caesar
E. Farrah, Islam (Hauppauge: Barrons Educational Series, Inc., 2000) 70.
Geisler & Saleeb, Answering Islam 84.
Geisler & Saleeb, Answering Islam 85.
