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To Muslim's Questions About Christianity |
Muslims's Questions About
Christianity
By ABD-UL-MASIH
MUSLIM QUESTIONS ABOUT CHRISTIANITY………………..1-12
Meaning of "Gospel"; the Bible
80-81
Son of God; death on the Cross
82-83
Trinity
84
Religious images; Europeans
85-86
Sin and forgiveness
87-90
Prayer
91
Are we all worshipping the same God? 92
MUSLIMS' QUESTIONS ABOUT CHRISTIANITY
80- Is the Gospel a book, or four different books?
Muslims have the idea that "the Gospel"
(Injil) is a book which God has been pleased to send down to Jesus. But to Jesus' first
disciples, and to the Christian Church, "the Gospel" is not a book; it is above
all "Good News"; it is the proclamation of God's wonderful intervention in the
world of men, for our salvation.
"The Gospel" is that the Lord God wished to reveal Himself to
us in Mercy and Love; He wishes to bind us to Himself in a relation of dependance, trust
and loyalty. He wants us to know Him as Father, to be joyful in living lives that are
pleasing to Him, to have hearts filled with His peace. He does not want us to tremble in
fear like a slave before his master. He wants us to love Him, and to serve Him willingly
and gladly because we like to please Him.
"The Gospel" is that Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus the Messiah
came from God to reveal God's nature and to initiate this relationship between God and
man. Jesus is the living testimony to the Love of God; He is the expression of God's love
for man. "The Gospel" is in brief the proclamation of God's love revealed in
Jesus the Messiah.
We also say that the New Testament contains four "gospels";
these are four narratives which tell the story of the Lord Jesus from different points of
view. It is therefore necessary to distinguish between the Gospel (which is the good news
of what Jesus means for mankind), and the gospels (which are books describing Jesus' life
and teaching).
81- What is the Bible?
Muslims are inclined to regard the
Qur'an and the Bible as essentially similar books. The Muslim takes the Qur'an to be a
book written directly by God, of which the original text exists eternally in heaven, and
each word was transmitted by the angel to Muhammad. So he is led to expect that the Bible
should be more or less the same thing to the Christians--a heavenly book similarly written
by God and brought down to a prophet. Then he is surprised to learn that the Bible was
written by so many different people over so long a period of time.
In fact, the Bible is a "library" made up of 66 different
books, which have been gathered together over the centuries and only gradually came to
form the one volume which we call the "Bible". These various writings are
"inspired by God", not in the sense that an angel brought them down from heaven,
not in the sense that the writers were necessarily speaking in a trance--but they are
inspired in the sense that God directed the whole thought and experience of the writers,
so that they might give a true revelation. And through all these writings there is one
consistent theme--the revelation of how God cares for mankind.
Immediately after the creation God calls to Adam, "Where are
you?", and from then on God continues to call us. The Bible tells how God reveals to
us equally HIS LAW (through the Ten Commandments, and other more temporary commands), HIS
RIGHTEOUSNESS (in allowing His own people, the Children of Israel, to be beaten by their
enemies and exiled, so that they might be led to repent of their sins), and HIS MERCY (in
bringing them back from exile and forgiving their sins)…..and above all the Bible
tells how God gave to His people their last and greatest chance, in confronting them with
His Love in Jesus Christ.
In the thought of the Bible, the supreme WORD OF GOD is Jesus Christ;
but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit every page of the Bible can "speak" to
us, and become a "Word" which God addresses personally to us.
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82- How could Jesus be the Son of God? Can God Take a Wife?
The Bible never for one moment speaks of God taking a
wife, and all Christian belief is based on the testimony of the Bible. In Christian
preaching there is not the least suggestion of a sexual relationship between God and any
one of His creatures. When the New Testament calls Jesus "the Son of God", this
does not for a moment mean that God begot a child through a woman, as men beget their
children.
The title must be understood along with all the other names given to
Jesus in the Bible; Jesus is also called the servant of God, the Son of David, the Son of
Man, the Lord, the Saviour, the new Adam, the Mediator, the High Priest, etc. We notice
that Jesus did not normally make use of the title "Son of God" in His public
preaching and teaching; it was rather in intimate conversation and in prayer that He
revealed Himself as "the Son of God". Closely linked with this title are the
many passages where Jesus referred to God as "my Father" and to Himself as
"the Son" (e.g. Luke 23; 34 & 46; Matthew 11:27; Mark 13:32; John 5:19-24;
17:1).
The title indicates, above all, the extremely close relationship
between Jesus and God. He is not merely someone "sent by God"; He has a unique
knowledge of God, there is between Him and God an intimacy so profound that it becomes an
actual identity of thought and action. Jesus completely and perfectly carries out the will
of God, to the point where we must say that He has been endowed with absolute authority by
God. Therefore, according to the New Testament, to obey Jesus is to obey the One who sent
Him; to reject Jesus is to reject the One who sent Him; to believe in Jesus is not to
believe in another Lord beside God--it is to believe in God through Jesus (John 5:23; and
12:44).
Further, according to the gospels, there can be no true knowledge of
God outside of Jesus Christ; the unity of Jesus with God is such that one can say,
metaphorically, "Jesus Christ is God's face turned towards mankind".
83- According to the Qur'an Jesus did not die on the
Cross. How is this?
(cf. Q. 23 & 78) The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke
and John were written some 550 years before the time of Muhammad, and contain the
testimony of men who were disciples of Jesus, who lived at His side, who actually saw and
touched Him. Some of these disciples were present in person at His crucifixion; in view of
this, it is virtually impossible to cast any doubt on the evidence of the gospels, when
these are considered without prejudice. In contrast, in the time of Muhammad the Bible was
only just being translated into Arabic, and it is probable that Muhammad could have had no
direct acquaintance with it. Instead, he heard stories about Jesus and the prophets
derived from legendary writings; and these legends were influenced by the theological
prejudices of some heretical Christians of the time. For example, some heretics believed
that Jesus was not really man, but a kind of spirit who could not suffer pain and death;
and long before the time of Muhammad, this "prejudice" gave rise to the legend
that it was someone else resembling Jesus who was crucified. But the story (like the
different story of the Ahmadis) is purely imaginary, and has no historical basis.
To satisfy yourself about the historical accuracy of the crucifixion
and death of Jesus, you have only to study the text of the gospels, which give detailed
eye-witness accounts of what happened.
84- Why do you speak of three gods? Is not God One and
Indivisible?
Before any explanation, the best thing is to quote some
Bible texts which emphasise the Christian belief in One God. First, from the Old
Testament:
--the first of the Ten Commandments, "I am the Lord your
God…You shall have no other gods beside me"--Exodus 30: 2-3;
--through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord declares, "Before me no god
was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no
saviour. I am God, and also henceforth I am He"--Isaiah 43:10-13;
--The Psalmist ends one of his prayers with the words, "Let them
know that thou alone, whose name is the Lord, art the Most High over all the
earth"--Psalm 83:18;
--and some verses from the New Testament; the Lord Jesus repeats and
confirms words from the Old Testament, "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is
One"--Mark 12:29;
--the apostle Paul declares, "there is no god but One"--1
Corinthians 8:4;
--and in another letter he adds, "(there is) one Lord, one faith,
one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all, and in
all"--Ephesians 4:5-6.
This last verse is of special importance; it shows that God is not
infinitely far off, like some great king living shut up in his palace, uninterested in the
daily life and experience of the common people. The God of the Bible is a living God, full
of sympathy for the least of His creatures, calling to them and coming to meet them. This
God is "above all, through (or among) all, and in all"; He is the Holy One, the
Creator--God, above all, the Father; He comes to mankind to demonstrate His justice and
His forgiveness--God, among all, in Jesus Christ; He is at work in the hearts of men, in
the Church and in the world--God, in all, by the Holy Spirit.
The Apostle Paul writes frequently of God the Father, of the Lord Jesus
Christ and of the Holy Spirit (e.g. Romans 15:15-16 and 30; 2 Corinthians 1: 21-22 and
13:14)--in each case, equally, he is indicating the reality of the One Living God, without
whose mercy no man could stand!
To illustrate these three ways in which God exists and acts, consider a
certain Abraham Mgoki, who is a mechanic at Garousa; he is also the husband of Madame
Mgoki, and again he is a member of the Evangelical Church. He may be in the workshop
repairing cars, he may be at home with his wife, he may be at prayer in the church--he is
always one and the same Mr. Abraham Mgoki. He is at once mechanic, father of his family
and member of his church, yet always the same man.
That is of course a very simple illustration, which must not be applied
literally, and which does not claim to explain the mystery of the thrice Holy God.
85- What is the purpose of religious
pictures and images in Christianity? Are they supposed to represent God? Is it possible to make
a picture of God?
No picture can represent God; no man has ever seen God,
for no created being could look upon his Creator and survive. However, there are drawings
and printed pictures which help us to understand the Gospel, and to realise what Jesus
Christ taught and revealed to us; such pictures are especially useful in telling the story
of Jesus to those who cannot read. You will see, for example, representations of the
Virgin Mary, Jesus as a child, or Jesus with His disciples, or Jesus going up to Golgotha
to be crucified--all these are merely pictures to help us imagine and understand the love
of God revealed in Jesus Christ.
Such images can never for a single moment be regarded by the Christian
as objects of worship--which would be idolatry. Yet we must realise that the introduction
of images or pictures into Christian Churches is often a stumbling-block to the muslim,
and we should take great care not to give any impression that we are worshipping them.
86- Is Christianity a religion of the Europeans?
Jesus of Nazareth was a Jew; that is, He belonged to an
Asian tribe closely related to the Syrians and the Arabs. It was not until some 15 years
after Jesus' death that the Gospel first reached Europe; and long before Christianity was
established in Northern Europe there were already large and important Christian
communities in North Africa. Church history tells of many first-rate Christian thinkers
who were Africans. At the present time there are millions of Christians all round the
world who are not white men. We should therefore oppose vigorously this false impression
that Christianity belongs to the Europeans.
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87- Who killed Jesus?
At first sight the gospels seem to say that it was the
Jewish authorities of the time who caused Jesus to be arrested and killed, with the
agreement of the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate. In fact however a careful reading of the
gospels will show that these Jews act4ed as each one of us would have acted in their
place; they represented us. If we had been there we should have applauded and willingly
helped in the Crucifixion of Jesus!
It is the sin of each one of us which killed Jesus. In a thousand ways
we violate God's gracious will; we cannot bear to have this Man of perfect obedience
showing up our disobedience. Who killed Jesus? You did, and I did, each one of us!
88- What do you mean by saying "Jesus Christ died for
us"?
The expression means that all men are sinners, condemned
by God's righteous judgement; that Jesus Christ was made like us in every respect, except
that He never sinned; and He took our place in the judgement. He took our place on the
Cross, He died for us so that by His death we might receive forgiveness and grace; so that
we who deserved to be condemned to death might rather enter on a new life, adopted as
children of God. (cf. Q. 80).
89- What can man know of God's forgiveness? Isn't it only at the Last
Day that God will forgive?
According to Islam, it is indeed only at the Last Day
that God will reveal His judgement, and will reward everyone according to his works. But
according to the New Testament, God has already revealed His judgement and His forgiveness
in Jesus Christ.
God reveals His judgement in that Jesus, dying on the Cross, brings to
light man's sinfulness. Every man, by his sin, deserves death and utter disgrace. But God
ordained that Christ, in dying, should die in the place of sinful men. Therefore the
Gospel according to John declares that Jesus takes away the sin of the world. He has taken
man's sin upon Himself, so as to deliver man from eternal condemnation.
God reveals His forgiveness in Jesus Christ, in that if any man
believes in Jesus, trusts Him as Saviour, and acknowledges himself a sinner for whom
Christ died, such a man receives the forgiveness of God. When is this forgiveness
received?--now, or only at the last day? God has been offering forgiveness in this way
ever since the coming of Jesus Christ, but each man receives this gift at the moment when
he trustingly accepts Jesus Christ into his heart as Saviour and Lord of his life. God's
forgiveness is therefore a present reality which a man can receive today, so that from now
on he can live in the peace of God and dedicated to God's service.
Let us emphasise: God's forgiveness has been given to us, once for all,
in Jesus Christ who was lifted up on the Cross, in this world, in the year 33 A.D.
90- What is the Christian faith? (cf. Q.11)
The faith of a Christian may be summarised in
these words: "Jesus Christ is Lord". He whom God sent, to die for my sin and to
bring me new life and hope by His resurrection, He is henceforth and forever the Lord of
my life. Today, and at the day of my death, He alone is my support, my hope, the source of
my job. He is my Lord!
91- What does Prayer mean to the Christian?
Christian prayer is something distinct and different
from other conceptions of prayer. It is distinct in that it is offered in the name of
Jesus Christ; that is, the believer dares to approach God because God has first approached
him in Jesus Christ, revealing in Jesus His love and His mercy. Man speaks to God because
he knows that God loves him personally and seeks his good. We do not pray in order to
"make use of God"; we pray in order that God may make use of us!--and that He
may make us useful to our fellow-men.
So the Christian does not think of prayer as a matter of "reciting
prayers", he thinks of it rather as a conversation with God. We hear God's word in
the Bible, and we reply by our prayer and our everyday obedience. We do not think it
essential to memorise a set form of words in a special language--our prayer is more like a
child speaking to his father. Of course we must come to our Father with all reverence; as
created beings, weak and sinful, we come humbly before our Creator, and dare simply to
open our hearts and speak! In our prayer we express:
--our gratitude (our "thank you") for everything
that each day brings, for all God's gifts--of health and material blessings as well as the
love of friends;
--our penitence (our "forgive me") for all evil
thoughts, for all actions which may have harmed someone;
--and our intercession (our "please") spreading out
our wants before our Lord, as a child tells his father how he is and what he needs for his
life and work.
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92- Are we all worshipping the same God?
The Muslim takes it for granted that "we are all worshipping the
same God", and he isn't aware of any problem about it. Muhammad said repeatedly that
he was proclaiming the same God who had sent Adam, Abraham, Moses and Jesus.
But for followers of Jesus Christ, the question is much more
complicated. The whole of the New Testament bears witness that the revelation of God in
Jesus Christ is unique and final. Jesus declared, "No one comes to the Father but
by me": "no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son
chooses to reveal Him"; "I am the Way, and the truth, and the life".
Also the apostles, speaking of the name of Jesus of Nazareth, declared, "there is
no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved".
Now, what Jesus teaches about God, about His mercy, His patience, His
forgiveness--can it really be compared with the teaching of the Qur'an?
The Christian is called to live as a child of God, with a deep inward
confidence and trust in the Heavenly Father, and rejoicing in God's gift of
forgiveness--is this quite similar to what the Muslim feels in the presence of his God?
Certainly there is only one God, the Creator of us all--but the important thing is not
merely to agree that one God exists, but to know what He is like, and how He deals with
us; it is for that purpose that He has drawn near to us in Jesus Christ and, through the
Cross, drawn us to Himself.
Certainly there is very much that we must respect in the Muslim faith,
and there is no doubt that Muhammad was a man of courage, a great leader who turned
millions from idolatry, one who had some knowledge of God. But it is hard for a Christian
to go much further than this in his estimate of Islam. God's offer of salvation in Christ
is so different from the idea of God in Islam.
In the presence of the Living God revealed in Jesus Christ, humbly, we
pray for our Muslim brothers, and for ourselves, asking our Lord to grant that both may
walk in the light. "I am the light of the world", says Jesus, "he who
follows me will not walk in darkness".
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