September 1, 2002, Vol.2,
No.17.
Two new articles every two weeks.
Bible Question? E-mail
us.
THIS ISSUE: "Can
Christianity and Islam Be Reconciled?"
(see below)
and "Is the Bible the
Word of God?"
To Our Muslim Friends:
Can Christianity and Islam Be Reconciled?
Guest article by Wayne Greeson
 Honest
examination reveals deep fundamental differences between Islam
and Christianity. Some have tried to ignore these differences.
Some Muslims suggest that they worship the same God and accept
the Bible as from God as Christians do. Some "Christians"
seek ecumenical unity based upon a questionable synthesis of
Islamic and Christian beliefs. Such attempts at bringing religious
unity between Muslims and Christians not only ignore fundamental
differences but do violence to the basic tenants of both religions.
As oil and water do not mix, neither do Islam and Christianity.
Change the basic properties of oil and water in order to mix
them and you no longer have oil or water. The same is true with
attempting to reconcile Islam and Christianity. Islam and Christianity
cannot be reconciled, both cannot be right.
The Qur'an Says the Bible
is a True Revelation from God
The Qur'an claims the Bible is a true revelation from God
to guide mankind just as it claims that for itself.
There is no god but He, the Living, the Self-Subsisting,
Eternal. It is He Who sent down to thee (step by step), in truth,
the Book, confirming what went before it; and He sent down Law
(Of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guide
to mankind, and He sent down the Criterion (of judgment between
right and wrong)" (Surah 3:2-3; See also, Sura 2:40-42,126,136,285;
3:71, 93; 4:47, 136; 5:47-51, 69, 71-72; 6:91; 10:37, 94; 21:7;
29:45, 46; 35:31; 46:11).
Further the Qu'ran teaches the Bible's instructions, if followed
faithfully by "the people of the Book" (Jews and Christians),
will forgive sins and admit those people into heaven.
"If only the people of the Book had believed and been
righteous, We should indeed have blotted out their iniquities
and admitted them to gardens of Bliss. If only they had stood
fast by the Law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that was
sent to them from their Lord, they would have enjoyed happiness
from every side. There is from among them a party on the right
course; but many of them follow a course that is evil"
(Surah 5:68-69).
But the Qu'ran goes even further and commands Muslims to believe
in the Bible and makes no distinction between God's revelations,
whether the Bible or the Qu'ran.
"Say ye: 'We believe in God, and the revelation given
to us, and to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes,
and that given to Moses and Jesus and that given to (all) Prophets
from their Lord, we make no difference between one and another
of them, and we bow to God (in Islam)'" (Surah 2:136;
See also, 3:3-4, 187; 4:136; 29:46).
Yet the Bible Claims
to Be God's Final Revelation
While the Qur'an says the Bible is part of God's revelation,
in addition to the Qur'an, the Bible claims to be the exclusive,
final and complete revelation for all men. Jesus promised his
apostles that he would give them into "all truth" (Jn.
16:13). The apostle Peter wrote that Jesus kept his promise and
"according as his divine power hath given unto us all things
that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of
him that hath called us to glory and virtue" (2 Pet. 1:3).
The apostle Jude wrote that the faith was delivered one time
for all.
"Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto
you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto
you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the
faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude
3).
The apostle Paul wrote that we are not to believe anyone who
brings another revelation, even if it was from an angel.
"But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any
other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you,
let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If
any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received,
let him be accursed" (Gal. 1:8-9).
The Bible ends with a warning and a curse to anyone who tries
to add to the Bible.
"For I testify unto every man that heareth the words
of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these
things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in
this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the
book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the
book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which
are written in this book" (Rev. 22:18-19).
The Qur'an and the Bible
Cannot Both be From God
Islam's revelation, the Qur'an, puts faithful Muslims in a
very real dilemma. The Qur'an claims the Bible is a revelation
from God to be believed by Muslims, but the Bible claims it is
the only revelation from God and no other revelations are to
be received or believed. This makes the Qur'an inconsistent and
contradictory, while the exclusive claims of the Bible are consistent.
These exclusive claims of the Bible as the complete revelation
of God to men mean that Islam and Christianity cannot both be
true religions from God, both cannot be right.
Although the Qur'an endorses the Bible as God's revelation,
there are many direct contradictions between the Qur'an and the
Bible. There are too many contradictions between them to reconcile
the two books as both from God who does not lie or contradict
himself. The Qur'an and the Bible cannot both be from God. One
is the revealed Word of God and the other is not.
The Bible's exclusive claims as the final and complete revelation
of God agree with this obvious conclusion. The Qur'an's inclusive
claims of the Bible as another revelation of God should raise
serious doubts and questions for a Muslim. For a Muslim to reject
the Bible as the Word of God is to reject the very claims of
the Qur'an. For a Muslim to accept the Bible as the Word of God
he must reject the Qur'an. Whether a Muslim accepts or rejects
the Bible he must reject the Qur'an as the Word of God.
Some Muslims readily recognize the contradictions between
the Bible and the Qur'an and respond by arguing that the Bible
has been corrupted thus creating the contradictions. However,
the Bible was completed 500 years before Mohammad gave the Qur'an.
We have the same Bible text today that Mohammad had available
in his day. The Qur'an never charges that the Bible text was
corrupted but always praises the Bible as God's revelation and
tells Muslims to believe in the Bible (Surah 2:136; See also,
3:3-4, 187; 4:136; 29:46).
Nowhere does the Qur'an say the Bible is corrupted but instead
asserts that no one can change the Word of God, which includes
the Bible.
"And certainly apostles before you were rejected,
but they were patient on being rejected and persecuted until
Our help came to them; and there is none to change the words
of Allah, and certainly there has come to you some information
about the messengers" (Sura 6:34; 10:34).
Jesus Said He was More than
a Prophet
The Qur'an and Islam call Jesus a prophet from God, but deny
that Jesus was God or the Son of God.
"O people of the Book (Jews and Christians)! Commit
no excesses in your religion: nor say of God naught but the truth.
Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) an apostle of
God, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a spirit proceeding
from Him: So believe in God and His messengers(Far exalted is
He) above having a son" (Sura 4:171).
Muslims argue that nowhere in the Bible does Jesus say, "I
am God, worship me." I challenge Muslims to read the claims
of Jesus for themselves. Jesus claimed to be far more than just
another prophet. Jesus made exclusive claims. Jesus claimed to
be God and accepted the worship of men.
When God spoke to Moses at the burning bush, Moses asked God
his name. God replied "I AM" (Ex. 3:13-14). This name
of God signified God's eternal self-existence. Jesus identified
himself by this same name. "Jesus said unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, 'Before Abraham was, I AM'" (Jn.
8:58). Jesus was clearly claiming to exist before Abraham and
doing so by identifying himself as God. (More of Jesus' exclusive
claims: Jn. 6:35, 41, 48, 51; 8:12; 9:5; Psa. 27:1; Jn. 10:7,
9, 11, 14; Psa. 23:1; Jn. 11:25; 14:6; 15:1, 5).
The Jews certainly understood this as "they took up stones
to throw at him" (Jn. 8:59) for making himself to be equal
with God, making himself God (See, Jn. 5:18; 10:33). Jesus' disciple
Thomas understood Jesus' claim, he declared Jesus as "My
Lord and my God" (Jn. 20:28). John understood Jesus claimed
to be God. He wrote:
"And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence
of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these
are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through
his name" (Jn. 20:30-31).
Because of Jesus' claim to be God, the Son of God, Jesus accepted
worship as God. When Jesus restored the sight of a man born blind,
He
"said unto him, 'Dost thou believe on the Son of God?'
He answered and said, 'Who is he, Lord, that I might believe
on him?' And Jesus said unto him, 'Thou hast both seen him, and
it is he that talketh with thee.' And he said, 'Lord, I believe.'
And he worshiped him" (Jn. 9:35-38).
Many others worshiped Jesus as this former blind man (Mt.
8:2; 9:18; 14:33; 15:25; 18:26; 20:20; 28:9, 17; Jn. 12:20).
Again Muslims are in a dilemma. The Qur'an teaches that Jesus
was a prophet of God. If Jesus is a prophet of God Muslims are
listen to him. Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, to be God
and he accepted worship. Either Jesus' claims are true, he is
God, or he was an outrageous liar and certainly not a prophet
of God and Muslims are not to listen to him. For a Muslim to
reject Jesus' claim to be the Son of God, he must reject the
Qur'an's claim that Jesus was a prophet of God. For a Muslim
to accept Jesus as a prophet he must accept Jesus' claim to be
the Son of God and thus reject the claims of the Qur'an. Whether
a Muslim accepts or rejects Jesus as the Son of God, he must
reject the Qur'an for claiming Jesus to be a prophet but not
the Son of God.
Conclusion
The claims of Islam and Christianity do not agree and cannot
be reconciled. If this is so, which is right? I challenge Muslims
to read the claims of the Bible and the claims of Jesus. The
more a Muslim accepts or rejects these claims, the more contradictory
the Qur'an becomes. Whatever position a Muslim takes on the Bible
and on Jesus, whether to accept or reject their claims, contradicts,
denies and disproves the very claims of the Qur'an and proves
the Bible and Jesus are true.
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