April 3, 2006
Do Muslims Believe In Jesus?
Ephesians 2:4-2:9 (NKJV)
5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
As far as I can tell, people have always talked about the idea that “all religions are basically saying the same thing.”
Today we want to examine that idea a little more closely when it comes to Christians and Muslims.
I’ll explain why.
The rise in terrorism that we have seen since 9/11 has been led by Muslim extremists.
In some cases their religious leaders have called for Jihad against Americans and Europeans.
If you don’t know it yet, Jihad is a religious war declared by those who claim to speak for the Muslim God, Allah.
Since America’s invasion of Iraq, many have been held captive for a long time by these so called warriors for Allah.
Just a couple of weeks ago a female reporter for the Christian Science Monitor was released by her captors after three months of confinement.
And recently, an Iraqi citizen was put on trial for his life for converting to Christianity.
Both were released only after considerable pressure was applied by the American government.
The point I want to make is that world conditions make it necessary that we know more about the Muslim religion.
It is interesting that Muslims mention Jesus and claim to hold Him in the highest regard, so we ask the question, “What is it that Muslims believe about Jesus?”
In order to answer that question, we’re going to be looking at some of the key differences between Muslim and Christian belief.
I believe there are Nine Fundamental Differences in what Muslim and Christians Believe.
I realize that nine points are a lot for us to cover; to be honest, I wanted to cut it down some, but each of these ideas is so basic and so important that we really need to try to cover them all.
1. CHRISTIAN: The Bible is God’s Word.
VS.
MUSLIM: The Quran is God’s Word.
We as Christians believe that the Bible - Old and New Testament - is our reliable Word from God.
We believe that its words were inspired by God and that every word is truth.
We try to live by its teachings, and we believe that salvation comes only after hearing the Word of God.
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Muslims, on the other hand, believe that the Torah of Moses, the Psalms of David, and the Gospel of Jesus (while being on their list of holy books) have been corrupted by Christians and Jews to the point where they are not fully reliable.
They believe the Quran is God’s most recent and final work, and that it supercedes all others.
2. CHRISTIAN: Jesus is the Son of God.
VS.
MUSLIM: Jesus is one of the prophets.
This Christian belief is plainly stated in John 10:30 - Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.”
And on two occasions God made it clear that Jesus was His Son.
First, when He was baptized, God spoke these words from heaven: “Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.”
And later, at Jesus transfiguration, God the Father spoke of His Son again.
2 and He (that’s Jesus) was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, 1let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
5 bWhile he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, c“This is My beloved Son, din whom I am well pleased. eHear Him!” 6
I believe that God made it pretty clear on both occasions that Jesus was the Son of God.
On the other hand, Muslims believe that Jesus is a prophet like Ezekiel or Daniel, but not as important a prophet as Muhammad.
In fact, the very idea that God had a son is repugnant to Muslims.
The Quran states in Surah 4:17, “Jesus. . . was only a messenger of Allah. . . Far is it removed from His transcendent majesty that He should have a son.”
For Muslims, being a son is a pampered and privileged position, not a role associated with being a servant or enduring a cross.
3. CHRISTIAN: Jesus died on the cross.
VS.
MUSLIM: Jesus did not die on the cross.
Paul wrote this in his letter to the Philippians, “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and nbecame obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:8)
That Jesus died on a Cross is an essential Christian belief.
In fact, it’s about as essential as you can get when you’re talking about Christian beliefs.
Muslims believe, however, that Jesus was condemned to die on the cross, but was not crucified.
The Quran states in Surah 4:155; “they did not slay him, neither crucified him, only a likeness of that was shown to them.”
Many Muslims believe that Judas was crucified in Jesus’ place and that Jesus went straight to heaven.
The Muslim view is that if He died, He failed.
4. CHRISTIAN: God is the source of good.
VS.
MUSLIM: Allah is the source of good and evil.
Muslims believe that Allah is the source of good and evil and that his will is supreme.
Allah is unpredictable: whatever he does is right simply because he did it, no matter what the ethics of it may be.
Therefore, there is a strong sense of fatalism and predestination; Allah is absolute will and we are all just puppets.
The Quran states in Surah 37:94 - “All other things are passive. Allah alone is active.”
One can easily see where the idea that there are no ethical boundaries within which God will remain could quickly lead down a path toward justifying the actions we saw on September 11.
5. CHRISTIAN: God is love.
VS.
MUSLIM: Love is not used to describe Allah.
Verse 4 of our passage clearly reveals the love of God: “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us.”
Allah’s supreme attribute is justice, not love.
Actually, love is almost never used to describe Allah in the Quran.
Muslims may want Justice from Allah, but the Christian doesn’t want justice at all.
What we want is mercy, and that’s what salvation is—an act of mercy and grace.
6. CHRISTIAN: God is our Father.
VS.
MUSLIM: It is blasphemous to call Allah “Father.”
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus invited us to pray with the affectionate title “Father.”
And when Jesus was talking to His disciples about His death and returning to heaven, He said, “I go to My Father and to your Father.”
We don’t have to live in fear of our God doing anything to hurt us, for we have a Father/son or a Father/daughter relationship; He loves us more than any earthly father ever could.
For Muslims, the underlying issue is that Allah is unknowable.
You cannot really know him; the best you can hope for is to recognize his actions.
Allah is not affected by our actions or attitudes.
On the other hand, the Bible teaches that our Father created us specifically for the purpose of having a relationship with Him.
Think for a moment about all that God did to bring that about.
First, He gave His only begotten Son to the world, and then He decreed that anyone who believed in Him would have everlasting life.
Thirty-three years later, He allowed mankind to do their worst to Him.
He watched Jesus suffer, and then when your sin and my sin was placed on Him, He had to turn His back on His Son and wait for Him to die in the most horrible way.
Only a loving Father would do what God did for us.
7. CHRISTIAN: Humans are inherently sinful.
VS.
MUSLIM: There is no original sin.
Verse 1 of Ephesians 2 explains our situation when it comes to sin.
It says, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins.”
Scripture paints man as he really is.
Lost men are spiritually dead, not merely weakened, incapacitated, disabled, or sick.
Muslims believe that Adam and Eve sinned, but they repented and were restored.
They believe that no permanent consequences came from their actions.
Therefore, because no one is lost, there is no need for a Savior.
8. CHRISTIAN: Salvation comes by grace.
VS.
MUSLIM: Salvation comes by works.
Verses 8-9 of our passage are about as clear as you can get on how someone is saved.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Muslims, on the other hand, work hard to get to heaven by following the five pillars of Islam.
I’ll give you a brief description of what a Muslim must do according to the pillars.
1. The Creed (Kalima) - “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah.”
You state this publicly in order to become a Muslim and it is repeated regularly by believers.
2. Prayer (Salat) - You must pray five times a day (when you get up in the morning, at noon, in the middle of the afternoon, after sunset, and before going to sleep).
And you must pray in Arabic while facing Mecca.
3. Almsgiving (Zakat) - All Muslims are to give one-fortieth of their income to the poor.
4. Fasting (Ramadan) - You are to eat no food from sunup to sundown during the holy month of Ramadan.
5. The Pilgrimage (Hajj) - A Muslim is expected to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their life.
By faithfully living out the five pillars, Muslims believe they are working their way toward heaven.
9. CHRISTIAN: Religious violence violates Jesus’ teaching.
VS.
MUSLIM: Religious violence fulfills Muhammad’s teaching.
Some Muslims teach that the sixth pillar of Islam is Jihad - Holy War against unbelievers.
The Quran is clear on the place of religious violence:
Surah 9:5 states, “Fight and slay the pagans whenever ye find them.”
Surah 9:29 says, “Fight those who believe not in God nor the Last Day.
Chuck Colson made this comment, “The truth is bin Laden and his followers did not hijack Islam; they simply took it seriously.”
Conclusion:
I hope I’ve demonstrated this morning that even though many folks will say, “All religions teach the same things,” that actually couldn’t be further from the truth.
What Muslims and Christians believe is not basically the same with one degree of separation.
What Muslims and Christians believe is diametrically opposed to each other.
The question for us this morning is: what do we believe is true?
Application:
God is very intolerant when it comes to His Word; He doesn’t compromise with what may think.
There is no other way to heaven; it’s His way or no way.
And God’s way is by grace through faith in His Son.
Listen to this conversation between Jesus and Thomas, where Jesus explained how to get to heaven.
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
The Muslims have not found another way to heaven.
They have a false hope, so we need to reach them with the gospel.
We know the truth and we have a home in heaven when life is over, and we shall meet Jesus and the Father there.
James M. Gray wrote, “Who could mind the journey when the road leads home?”
