The basic gist of the argument is that the Jews corrupted the Bible to say that Isaac was the true son of the promise rather than Ishmael (See Genesis 21:12, 13). It is fairly easy to see how this plays into the current political situation. The Jews and the Muslims are both convinced that the Promised Land was promised to them!

While there is much detail to sort through, the main agenda of Islam seems to be to prove that the Arabs are the true people of God and therefore the true owners of the Land. On this foundation, the theology of Islam is built. Walter Martin says "the three key topics of discussion between a Christian and a Muslim should be the nature of God, the identity and deity of Jesus Christ, and salvation by grace alone apart from works."⁷ These three things grow out of each other in that order. Let’s consider each of these in turn.

I ran into a lot of rhetoric on this issue. The typical Christian argument is that Allah is not the God of love portrayed in the Bible. The Muslim response is simply to disagree and to point to the statements about God in the Koran (also spelled Quran). In the traditional list of the "Ninety-nine Names of Allah^"8, one does not, at first glance, observe any noticeable difference between this list and a list that might be found in a Christian or Jewish publication. Specifically related to this issue are names like, "Forgiving", "Pardoner", "Compassionate" and "Helper". In spite of the caricature put forth by some, there does seem to be some idea that Allah’s character includes qualities like love and forgiveness.

The real issues seem to be deeper than a surface discussion will reveal, especially if that discussion is intended to persuade a person in a particular direction (which nearly all of them are). On closer study, there are two main issues that distinguish the God of Islam from the God of Christianity, his approachability and his plurality. Even though Allah is said to be a compassionate helper, it is hard to see how these ideas can be reconciled with other teachings of Islam.

The first two names on Braswell’s list of ninety-nine names of Allah are revealing, "Singular" and "Alone". These names reveal one of the most often criticized attributes of the god of Islam. In contrast to the God of the Bible, Allah is a distant, unknowable god.

It is certainly difficult to understand how Allah can be both compassionate and removed. How can he be a helper if it is not possible to have experiential and personal knowledge of him?

This stands in clear contrast to the God of the Bible. Jesus said the essence of eternal life is that we know God (John 17:3). The promise of the New Covenant is that people will know God.

Wayne Grudem comments, "Now some people say that we cannot know God himself, but that we can only know facts about him or know what he does… But Scripture does not speak that way. Several passages speak of our knowing God himself."¹¹

Christians affirm that God is incomprehensible. The God of the Bible is holy. In this sense he is certainly set above his creation. He does not share the fallen sinfulness of the creation. Although we can know him, we cannot fully understand him. The Bible uses words like "unsearchable" (Ps 145:3), and "beyond measure" (Ps 147:5) to describe the things of God. However, it is not necessary to know and understand everything about a person in order to be able to say that you truly know that person. In fact, we can never know everything about anyone! Does this mean that we do not truly know anyone? Certainly not.

The contrast between the God of the Bible and the god of the Koran is that the God of the Bible has condescended to make himself known. He has revealed himself both in his written word, the Bible and in his incarnate word, Jesus Christ. Grudem summarizes this distinction when he says, "Even more significantly, it is God himself whom we know, not simply facts about him or actions he does."¹² Although Grudem is not specifically discussing Islam, his statement directly opposes the Islamic notion that Allah can only be known indirectly through Islamic Law.

When we talk of the plurality of God, the discussion really begins to heat up. "In the Islamic understanding, the greatest sin a human being can commit is to impugn the oneness of God." ¹³

"For the Muslim…there is no such blasphemous thing as the ‘Trinity^’"15. "And God is neither plural nor triune… The belief that God is one, singular and separate from creation is central to the concept of Allah."¹⁶

This, again, is in clear contrast to the God of the Bible. Since I will discuss this further when we look at the person of Christ, a few references from the Old Testament will suffice for now. The first hint that God exists as more than one person comes in the first chapter of the Bible. In the second verse of Genesis we are told of the Spirit of God hovering over the surface of the waters (Gen 1:2). Later in the same chapter we are permitted to listen in on a divine counsel between the members of the Godhead. "Let us make people in our image, to be like ourselves…" (Gen 1:26, NLT). Other passages contain the same type of wording including Genesis 3:22, Genesis 11:7 and Isaiah 6:8.

Another interesting Old Testament passage is Psalm 45:6-7. These verses are addressed to "God" but verse seven says, "Therefore, God, your God, has anointed you." "So two separate persons are called ‘God’".¹⁷ From these few sample passages, one begins to see that the God of the Bible is quite different from the god of Islam. Although the details are not revealed until the New Testament, it is becoming clear that God exists as more than one person.

Although I will discuss this in the next section, there is another point that is important to make here. C. F. H. Henry has written a helpful article which includes the following insights:

Henry is rightly pointing out that the doctrine of the Trinity is not something that can be fully understood. There is no way to arrive at this doctrine through human reason since God is unlike anything or anyone else we know or experience. The way we know God is triune is because he has revealed this truth to us. Any attempt to explain or understand this truth through comparison or illustration will fall short and lead to errors like modalism or tritheism. This is one of the "unsearchable" things of God.

A natural result of the idea of the plurality of God would be to ask for more details about the persons who make up the Godhead. The revelation contained in the New Testament of the Bible fills in the details. The idea that Jesus Christ is the divine second person of the Trinity is a major stumbling block for Muslims. Dr. Maneh Al-Johani says, "The controversy about the personality of Jesus Christ is the major difference between Islam and Christianity. This difference keeps the followers of the two religions apart."¹⁹ Christian writers agree.

One very helpful web site offers a side by side comparison of the teachings of the Koran and the teachings of the Bible.²¹ The following sampling contains but a few of the statements in each book.                                                                     

The statements cited from the Koran seem directly aimed at the Bible’s teaching about Jesus. This brings to mind the quote from the gospelnet article above that Islam is "set up to specifically oppose Christianity on every important doctrine." This clearly implies that the opposition is intentional. Is this an independent system of theology or an attempt to oppose Biblical faith? In his web site quoted above, Dr. Maneh Al-Johani admits that the issue is one of rejection. "As a matter of fact all the cardinal doctrines of Christianity that are rejected by Islam center around the personality of Jesus."

It is easy to see that Islamic teaching about the oneness of God flows directly into their beliefs about Jesus Christ. He simply cannot be divine in the Muslim belief system. The teaching of Christianity is in direct contrast to this. As George Ladd explains, "In this history of theological thought, this expression [The Son of God] connotes the essential deity of Jesus Christ. He is the Son of God, i.e., God the Son, the second person of the triune Godhead."²²

The NT uses many other OT names of God to refer to Jesus including Yaweh, God, Alpha and Omega, Lord, Savior, King, Judge, Light, Rock, Redeemer, The Lord Our Righteousness, Husband, Shepherd, Creator, The Lord Our Healer, Giver of Life, and the Forgiver of Sins.²³

In addition, The Bible says that Jesus Christ has the attributes of God including omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence, pre-existence, eternalness, and unchangeableness. He is everywhere, he knows everything, he is all-powerful, he has always existed, he always will exist and he will never change. He knew the future. He even knew what people were thinking.

Jesus Christ possesses the names of God and the attributes of God. He also has the authority of God. The most obvious example of this is seen in Jesus taking upon himself the right to receive worship. Few subjects in the Bible are treated more clearly than the subject of worship. The whole Bible teaches that no one but God is to be worshiped. Jesus himself said, "You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only (Luke 4:8)." No man or angel was ever to receive worship. God would share His glory with no one. This is the first of the Ten Commandments.

But Jesus Christ is worshiped repeatedly in the New Testament. He healed a man who said, "'Lord, I believe' and worshiped Him" (John 9:38). The disciples worshiped Him after He walked on the water (Matthew 14:33). Another time, the disciples saw Him after the resurrection and came up and "worshiped Him" (Matthew 28:17). Jesus never rebukes anyone for worshiping Him. He receives it as His due.

It follows logically that if Jesus is not God’s son who died to provide forgiveness for sins (as Christianity teaches) then salvation must come by some other means. First, I will examine what the Bible teaches about salvation and forgiveness. Then we will compare that with the teachings of Islam.

Grudem explains that the Christian Gospel requires three things in order for a person to receive forgiveness and eternal life.²⁴ First, one must have knowledge of the facts about Christ and what he has done. The Bible summarizes this information in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.

It should be noted parenthetically that Muslims deny the basic facts of Christianity including the death of Jesus on the cross. "They denied the truth and uttered a monstrous falsehood against Mary. They declared: ‘We have put to death the Messiah Jesus, the son of Mary the apostle of Allah’ (Koran 4:154-155)."

But knowledge is not enough. As Grudem says, "people can know facts but rebel against them or dislike them." The second component of saving faith is approval. It is necessary not only to know the facts, but also to agree with them. But it is the third component of "saving faith" that is the key for our discussion. The Bible is filled with examples of people who know the facts and agree with the facts, but still are not considered true believers. A few examples include a Pharisee named Nicodemus (John 3), a King named Agrippa (Acts 26) and even demons (James 2:19)!

Grudem calls this third aspect of true saving faith "personal trust". The Reformers called it fiducia. Says Grudem, "Saving faith is trust in Jesus Christ as a living person for forgiveness of sins and for eternal life with God… This definition emphasizes that saving faith is not just a belief in facts but personal trust in Jesus to save me."²⁵ This teaching is certainly one of the main teachings of the Bible. John 3:16 may be the most well known verse in the Bible. It reads, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (NLT). Although we could cite many other passages, this one example is clear enough to show that the Bible teaches that 1. God’s motivation is love for people, 2. Jesus Christ is his only Son, 3. The requirement for eternal life with God is belief. The Greek word pisteuo (believe, faith) is better translated "trust" in our culture. Other passages that clearly present this teaching include (but are certainly not limited to) Acts 16:31; Romans 5:1; 9:30-32; Ephesians 2:8; and Hebrews 11:6.

In stark contrast to the Bible’s teaching, Islam teaches that eternal life is obtained by a combination of works and fate. Martin explains.

Everyone seems to agree that the Muslim path to paradise requires the practice of these five "pillars". Most seem to agree that a sixth practice is also essential, or at least very close to essential. This sixth practice is the jihad or holy war. I will discuss this briefly later. For the Muslim, eternal life is obtained through these five (or six) practices. The problem is that no one seems to know exactly how much of this Allah requires. There is no assurance in Islam.

The other aspect of the Islamic view of salvation mentioned by Martin is fate. The Koran says, "you do not will unless God wills." (76:30) and "Thou causest to err thereby whomever Thou pleasest and guidest whomever Thou pleasest." (7:155). Even when a Muslim completes all of the works mentioned above, still there is no assurance of eternal life. This, it seems, is up to the whim of Allah. Braswell’s convoluted statement does not solve the problem.

According to Robinson (143) the Muslim turns his mind "to the scales at the Last Judgement and he hopes that his good deeds will outweigh the bad." It seems that even if the Muslim were to practice the five (or six) pillars perfectly, Allah would still have the right to send him or her to hell. In fact, it seems that women are more likely to fall prey to this choice than men! ²⁸

This too is in clear contrast to the assurance and security the Bible offers. "I write this to you who believe in the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life (I John 5:13)." "I give [my sheep] eternal life and they will never perish. No one will snatch them away from me (John 10:28)." "Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? No…I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love (Romans 8:35, 37, 38)."

In light of recent world events, it seems necessary to close with a word about the Islamic concept of the jihad or holy war. As mentioned above, many consider this a sixth pillar of Islam. Braswell (59) says "Each orthodox Mulsim must engage in at least six basic practices." The sixth is the jihad. Martin (367) says that the jihad "used to be a condition of faith" and that there is talk of restoring jihad as one of the essentials. One web site plainly states, "The only sure way to make it into heaven is for a Muslim to die in a jihad."²⁹

Martin (367) defines jihad as the belief that "it was their sacred duty to murder anyone who would not embrace the one true faith." Braswell quotes the Quran on page 71.

Abu’l-A’la al-Mawdudi, the founder of the Islamic Society in Pakistan, is quoted as saying that "the objective of Islamic jihad is to put an end to the dominance of the un-Islamic systems of governments and replace them with Islamic rule."³⁰ Although some pro-Islamic authors try to avoid or nuance this aspect of Islamic practice, it is clear that one of the central beliefs of Islam is that non-Muslims are worthy of death and that killing them is a crucial part of the religion.

One "defense" is to use the Christian Crusades as a comparison. "In view of the Crusades, which were a bloodthirsty and largely unprovoked act of aggression perpetrated by Christians against Muslims living in Palestine, there is more than a touch of irony in the accusation of warmongering levelled [sic] against Muhammad by Christian polemicists."³¹ The obvious problem with this "defense" is that it is an attack on the practice of so-called Christians which may or may not be based on the actual teachings of Jesus while the jihad is a clear requirement of the Koran.

Both the Crusades and the jihad are in contrast with the teachings of Jesus and the entire New Testament. When asked which commandment was the greatest, Jesus gave a two-part response. The first is to love the Lord your God and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus made it clear that these two commandments form the foundation of the Christian life and that the "neighbor" he had in mind was not limited to fellow Christians (Matt 22:39; Mk 12:31; Luke 10:27). Furthermore, Jesus taught his followers to love their enemies and pray for their persecutors (Matt 5:43; Luke 6:27). Nowhere in the New Testament is there any example or teaching about anyone seeking revenge or using violence to convert unbelievers to Christianity. On the contrary, we are told never to avenge ourselves, to feed our enemy if he is hungry, and to conquer evil by doing good (Rom 12:19-20).

Worldwide discussion and curiosity about Islam has exploded since September 11, 2001. What shall we say in response to this? First, it should be said that there are some similarities in the practices and beliefs of Islam and Christianity. Both religions affirm the existence of one God, Creator and Lord of everything. Second, both religions believe that they are the possessors of absolute truth and that this truth is essential for mankind. Both are committed to spreading this truth throughout the world.

Here, the similarities stop. Christianity and Islam are light years apart in both theology and practice. The only thing both sides agree about is the fact that they cannot possibly agree. As with other religions, the central question is the person and work of Christ. The Christian must learn to love the Muslim without compromising his belief in the Divine Son of God who gave himself up for us all (Rom 8:32).