Islam And Christianity

The primary difference between Christianity and Islam is that Muslims do not accept Jesus
as the Son of God.
Muslims believe that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, but they do not believe that Jesus was
the Son of God, or even that He claimed to be.
While they believe He was sinless, they do not believe that He died on the cross.
Rather, Allah let Jesus escape Calvary by letting someone else die in His place!

So therefore, they do not believe that He died to atone for our sins, or that salvation is experienced
by grace through faith in Jesus.

Christians Witnessing To Muslims

You might think that since Christianity and Islam claim to worship the same God
(the God of Abraham), that you could assume that Christianity and Islam are not all that different.

Yet, besides the Muslim view of Jesus, the differences between the two faiths are
fundamental and profound.
If one is a knowledgeable and devout Muslim, he has rejected all that is vital to Christianity.

Islam rejects the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, believing that, while at one time they may
have been the word of God, they have been so corrupted through copying and translating that
they are no longer reliable.

Christianity, of course, believes that the Bible is the word of God, without error in the original manuscripts,
and that the copying of manuscripts over the ages has been so exacting that the variations in texts
are extremely few and affect no major doctrine.
Christianity believes that the Bible is the word of God and is a reliable revelation from Him.

Christianity also believes that Jesus is the divine Son of God, and the second member of the Trinity,
along with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Christianity believes that Jesus died on the cross to offer salvation to humanity;
and that He was buried, and on the third day rose from the dead.
We are not saved by good works (Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:5), but by grace through faith in Jesus.
Our good works are indications that we have already been saved, but are not the means to be saved.

Islam rejects all of this.
The Qur'an rejects the divinity of Jesus, the Trinity, Jesus as the incarnation of God,
atonement for sin, and His literal resurrection.
These are thought to be delusions, conjecture, error, or fraud.

Why should we believe Christianity over Islam?

The gospel story of God's love in Jesus is proven by His miracles, His teachings,
His sacrificial death, and His glorious resurrection.
The gospel of Jesus outshines the message of Islam which knows little of the love of God
and nothing of a personal relationship with Him.

In defense of this claim, let us look at several different elements in the Christian's worldview.

Islam denies the divinity of Jesus, as well as His resurrection, which is directly related to His divinity.
Jesus said He was God, and as proof that He was, prophesied that He would be killed and rise
from the dead three days later.
If the resurrection is true, then it is reasonable to believe that everything Jesus said is true,
including His divinity.

Muslim denial of the death and resurrection divinity and of Jesus is rooted in dogmatic opinion,
not on the resurrection and of historical investigation.
Even secular historians do not dispute that Jesus died on a cross.

Muslims simply choose to ignore both biblical and secular evidence about His death.
This leads to their neglect of interest in the greatest news ever announced:
Jesus has risen from the dead.

The Muslim charges of corruption in the Bible do not fit reality.
There are, by far, more copies of manuscripts of the Bible than any other ancient document.
These manuscripts have been analyzed and compared more than any other work from the time of Plato.
The variations among them are few and minor and affect no central teaching of Christianity.

Muslims claim that the Qur'an is eternal, and is part of a larger document that exists in heaven
near the throne of Allah.
Written in Arabic, this Islamic scripture is considered pure and infallible.
Yet, scholars have identified many words in the Qur'an that are of modern origin.

The Qur'an is sprinkled with words borrowed from Persian, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Syric,
and Coptic that date it to a particular epoch and culture.
A renowned classical exegete of the Qur'an, Julad-ud-Din Sayutte, provides a list of 122 loan words
from foreign languages.

-- How Shall We Reach Them?

The Qur'an contains myths and apocryphal, which is untrue and invented information,
such as: Solomon talked with birds and ants (27:15ff).
Three men slept in a cave with a dog for at least three hundred years (18:10-25),
which is an apocryphal Christian fable.

Jesus spoke from the cradle (19:29-30).
He made birds out of clay and gave them life (3:49).
This material is found in the apocryphal, Infancy Gospel of Thomas.

And there is information in the Qur'an that directly contradicts the Bible.
It says that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was the sister of Aaron (19:28).
It also says that she was the daughter of Imran, or Amrain (3:35-36), which would make her identical
to Miriam, the sister of Aaron.
It is not difficult to validate that Mary and Miriam are separated by approximately
fifteen hundred years.
It is also stated that Noah's wife and one of his sons perished in the Flood.
This is in direct contradiction to the Bible.
When you compare Christianity with Islam, you are pitting Jesus' words against Muhammad's.

By looking at the character of the two people, one is forced to decide which one
has the greater credibility.
It is not difficult for me to believe in Jesus over Muhammad.

The character, words, and works of Muhammad are decidedly human.
The character, words, and works of Jesus are beyond anything ever witnessed of a mere mortal.

Napoleon once said that Jesus' mode of gathering people to himself was much different
from the way Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, and that he had gathered people.
Their method was by fear.
Jesus gathered people through love.

Napoleon said, ";Alexander, Caesar, and I have been men of war, but Christ was the Prince of Peace.
The people have been driven to us; they were drawn to him.
In our case there has been forced conscription; in his there was free obedience."

This is a fundamental point.
Jesus taught conversion by faith.

While Muhammad may not physically have forced people to convert to Islam, his love of the sword
provided a political and social pressure to convert that was sometimes extreme.

Fundamentally, the teaching of Jesus is about the gracious love of God as Father,
who loved lost humanity so much that He sent His only Son to die for us.

One of the most tragic things about the Qur'an is that it lacks any deep understanding
of the grace and love of God.
In fact, the Qur'an fails to state, even once, that "God is love."

When people are growing up, they tend to believe what those around them believe.
People who grow up in Islamic countries tend to believe in Islam;
people who grow up in Hindu countries tend to believe in Hinduism;
people who grow up in Christian countries tend to believe in Christianity.

Since each religion teaches that it is "reasonable" and each has scholars
who defend the particular religion, how do we decide the truth?

It is extremely important that each of us has a heart for sincerity and truth, asking God
to lead us into truth.
If we come to any religion with a presupposition as to whether or not it is true, we can find
whatever information we need to support the presupposition.

Islam is truly lacking.
It appears to be a religion that even a human could have conceived.
Islam doesn't measure up in the lofty themes that are central to Christianity.
It doesn't produce the quality of life.
It doesn't create the love.
And, it doesn't have Jesus.

There is something about Jesus that makes Christianity different from all other religions,
and that is the difference between a man-made religion and a God-offered religion.

Is Islam popular?
Of course.
Millions believe it.

But does it measure up to Christianity?
Definitely not!

Beliefs Of Islam

Beliefs Of Islam - Part Two

Beliefs Of Islam - Part Three