Christianity & Islam

Christianity and Islam have very different belief systems.

One of the differences in other view of Jesus while here because we come to the absolutely decisive and irreconcilable points of difference, Christianity and Islam have radically different views on the identity of the mission of Jesus who he was and what he came to do. Welcome to Renewing Your Mind. Most Christians say they're willing to share their faith with Muslims.

The questions are and how do we start a good place to begin is having a basic understanding of Islam knowing what Muslims believe and don't point so let's leave that foundation today with our teacher Dr. James Anderson was an ordained minister seminary professor and expert on Islam so far in these like as we focused almost entirely on understanding Islam on its own terms.

We've asked questions like what are the core beliefs and practices of Islam, who was Mohammed, how do Muslims view the Quran. What does the Koran actually say what are some of the variations that we find in the Islamic world, but of course we don't come to the Islamic faith as neutral observers as detached scholars of religion. Rather, we come as Christians with distinctive Christian convictions and presuppositions so we want to understand Islam, not simply on its own terms, but from a distinctly Christian perspective how we want to critically evaluate it from a Christian perspective so that we can engage thoughtfully and fruitfully with Muslims and equip other Christians to do so. In this lecture than I want to turn to a direct comparison and contrast between the Christian faith and the Islamic faith.

I want to suggest that in order to properly understand the relationship between Christianity and Islam. We need to acknowledge both the major points of agreement and then major points of disagreement.

This may seem very obvious to you. You may think well of course were going to relate to things that we need to understand on the one hand, what they have in common. On the other hand, where they differ for the reason that I emphasize this seemingly obvious point is because there are many Christians were focused on one side of the expense of the other. There are two opposite errors that we need to avoid here.

One era is to focus only on the points of agreement to play down or ignore the significant points of disagreement. The other era would be to focus only on the points of disagreement and to play down or ignore the significant points of agreement.

If were going to think responsibly about Islam as Christians we need to consider both sides so as begin by reviewing some of the major points of agreement between Christianity and Islam. And here I'm going to be focusing on mainstream Sunni Islam. The majority position in the first place. Both Christianity and Islam are mono theistic religions. Both affirm there is one God, the all-powerful creator of the universe who created the universe out of nothing and continually sustains it at every moment. Both affirm that this creator God is an absolute control of his creation and is directing history according to his sovereign purposes. In fact, Islam has a very robust view of divine control and divine providence, holding that everything takes place according to the sovereign will of God. So on these points, Christianity and Islam stand together against secular, atheistic and deistic worldviews and against Eastern and theistic religions. Second, late, Christianity and Islam. Both affirm the reality of divine revelation.

Both teach that God speaks and has spoken in history with authority. Both affirm that God has spoken through his appointed prophets and that the word of God through these profits has been recorded and preserved in divinely inspired Scriptures.

Indeed, Islam acknowledges many of the same profits as Christianity and some of the same Scriptures such as the Torah given through Moses. Thirdly, there is significant agreement between these two faiths on moral issues. Both affirm that morality isn't a human invention. Moral laws come from God that commandments from God about how we should live our lives in a way that honors God and also promotes our own well-being and happiness is even some agreement over the content of this moral law. Fourthly, despite the very different view of Jesus that Islam presents. There are still some points of agreement.

Islam teaches that Jesus was sent by God and that he was a prophet.

We agree. Although we say of course that Jesus was so much more than a prophet.

Islam also teaches in accordance with the New Testament that Jesus was born of a virgin, that he was without sin and that he performed miracles.

Lastly, there are some areas of agreement about the future and the afterlife both Christianity and Islam teach that we have spirits or souls that are distinct from our bodies and that our souls continue to exist after Allport's have died indicate so. Both affirm the physical death is not the end of human existence. Furthermore, Islam joins Christianity in teaching that there will be a future day of resurrection and judgment and that there are two final destinations for mankind heaven and hell.

We can see then that there are some significant points of commonality between these two religious faiths.

What accounts for that well from a Christian perspective that is easy to answer everything the Islam gets right it gets from Christianity.

Historically and theologically Islam can be understood as a kind of a Christian heresy, and every Christian heresy retains some truth, some elements of a biblical worldview.

But at the same time every Christian heresy rejects or compromises some of the central teachings of Orthodox Christianity, replacing them with human rationalizations and human superstitions, and that is exactly what we see in the case of Islam. So as now turn our attention to the other side of the coin, the points of disagreement. I'm going to outline what I take to be the major points of disagreement between Christianity and Islam, and I'm going to do this under seven headings were seven topics on which there is major disagreement. Let's start with the topic golf revelation.

How do Christianity and Islam differ on the question of divine revelation. Both Christianity and Islam claimed to be revealed religions both hold to the idea of divine verbal revelation and they locate their authority in that verbal revelation.

However, the two faiths take very different positions on the nature and the content of that revelation. According to orthodox Christianity. God has revealed to us both his character and his will. He has told us not just what he requires but who he is and what he is like and contrast the traditional Islamic view is that God has revealed only his will.

God does not reveal himself in any personal way. You cannot truly know God's character what God is really like, you can only know what he demands of you while both religions affirm that there are divinely inspired Scriptures again. There is a sharp division between them. Christianity teaches that the Bible alone is the written word of God, the Bible alone is infallible, inerrant and authoritative, and so the Quran has to be a merely human book and therefore to make sure of truth and falsehood, good and bad. Islam acknowledges that some parts of the Bible were originally given from God, namely the Torah.

Psalms the gospel. However, Muslims have to say that those earlier Scriptures been corrupted and are now unreliable sources of revelation. In contrast, Islam teaches that the Quran is divinely given and uncorrupted so the Quran is the only infallible, inerrant and authoritative divine revelation today start her second topic, God differences in the view of God.

Christianity affirms that God is both transcendent and immanent God stands above his creation in every respect, and he is completely distinct from his creation, but he is also intimately and personally involved within his creation, specifically Christianity teaches that God has voluntarily condescended to relate to human beings by way of his covenants through which he blesses us with his presence among us, and that divine presence. Of course, is manifested most powerfully in the incarnation of God the son, Emmanuelle God with us. In contrast, traditional Islam affirms that God is actually transcendent and not imminent. Islam teaches that God is only present.

Of course, but there's nothing like the biblical view of divine imminent self of intimate divine presence with his people.

One distinctive teaching of Christianity, of course, is that God is a Trinity. There is one God who exists in three distinct persons. The father son and Holy Spirit to all. One is substance equal in power and glory. In contrast, Islam insists emphatically that God is not a Trinity, God is a pure indivisible unity, remember that doctrine of Tolkien absolute oneness is one further point of disagreement. I want to highlight under this heading because it has implications for the doctrine of salvation on the Christian view God's justice is an expression of his character and that means that arbitrary forgiveness is impossible, God cannot simply will to forgive or overlook sin without satisfying his justice is just character. Only traditional Islamic view.

However, God's justice is purely an expression of his will, which means that arbitrary forgiveness is possible all can simply choose to overlook sin and nothing more is needed. Justice is nothing more than what Allah wills is no deeper connection with his nature or character. The third topic mankind humanity Christianity.

Again has a very distinctive anthropology that is a doctrine of man of mankind and it differs from Islam on several points. Christianity affirms that human beings are made in the image of God and that God relates to us in a personal way, primarily by way of covenants and it affirms that highest purpose is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. That's that's what we are made for what is more that that highest and that chief and necessarily involves an intimate knowledge of God through Jesus Christ. Think for example of John 17 verse three. This is eternal life that they know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent Islam on the other hand does not teach that we are created in the image of God. That idea is completely absent from the Quran from Islamic tradition. Why is not well is because the Quran insists that God is utterly unlike any of his creatures is that absolute transcendence. Likewise, Islam puts no emphasis on God relating to us by way of covenants. What about our highest purpose. What would be the Islamic view.

Well Islam teaches that our highest purpose is simply Islam submission highest purpose is to submit to the will of God, but that does not involve knowing God.

Topic number four Jesus Christ.

One of the differences in other view of Jesus while here because we come to the absolutely decisive and irreconcilable points of difference, Christianity and Islam have radically different views on the identity and the mission of Jesus who he was and what he came to do.

The Bible teaches that Jesus is the eternal son of God who became incarnate for us for our salvation. He willingly suffered and died on the cross to atone for our sins and then rose again victorious from the dead and his mission was to glorify his father by redeeming a people chosen by God.

The Quran, in contrast, teaches that Jesus was merely a human profit and implies that it is blasphemous to call him the son of God.

The Quran also denies explicitly that Jesus was crucified and thus implies that he did not make atonement for our sins, and he did not rise again from the dead.

Topic number five Mohammed the different views of Mohammed between Christians and Muslims well. Just as there is fundamental disagreement about Jesus. So there is a fundamental disagreement about the identity and the significance of Mohammed the Christian view I would say is that Mohammed was not a true prophet or messenger from God.

He could not have been.

While he may have had some admirable qualities.

He was far from sinless, and certainly his behavior fell far short of biblical moral standards.

In contrast, Islam teaches that Mohammed was a true prophet and messenger of God. Indeed he was the seal of the prophets, the last in the line of prophets.

Furthermore, Islam maintains that Mohammed was without sin, and thus he can serve as a perfect model.

A perfect example for believers member that is the very basis for the sooner topic number six sin different views of sin again here we see some very clear points of divergence. Christianity affirms that God himself has a holy hatred of human sin.

When we sin our sin is primarily against God. Just think of what David says in Psalm 51 against you. You only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. Islam, however, seems to take the view that God is unaffected by human sin. Sin is simply whatever brings harm to ourselves and to others is a striking difference in the way that the Quran recounts the story of the fall of Adam. When Adam and Eve sin. They eat of the forbidden fruit were told that they reply to God our Lord.

We have wronged our souls. If you do not forgive us and have mercy. We shall be lost.

We have wronged our souls know we have sinned against you, but we've found ourselves Christianity of course has a very robust doctrine of original sin.

Adamson brought the entire human race into corruption and under condemnation.

It brought death and suffering into the world and a curse upon the whole creation and as a consequence, we are all born in bondage to sin were unable to do any good. Apart from divine grace, not means of course that we can do nothing, absolutely nothing whatsoever to save ourselves, our sins can be dealt with only through the substitutionary atonement of Christ on the inner supernatural renewal of the Holy Spirit on the Islamic view Adamson didn't have any deep effect on us.

Other than simply setting a bad example Adamson didn't affect the creation death and suffering have always been present in the world. We all have natural weaknesses but even then they're still able to do both good and evil so we can do something to get ourselves into paradise. We can do good deeds to cancel out to outweigh our bad deeds and any residual sin can simply be forgiven by a law without any need for atonement. The last topic is that of salvation. Salvation.

If you have a different doctrine of sin, then of course you will end up with a different doctrine of salvation. The Bible proclaims that God's love toward sinners is unconditional and wholly gracious. Where is the Quran implies that God's love is conditional upon faith and good deeds. A law loves those who love him. Christianity teaches that salvation is a gracious gift of God received by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, what is more, salvation requires a radical supernatural change what we called regeneration being born again by the Holy Spirit and then that internal work of God, that gracious work of God produces good works, good works are the gracious fruits of salvation, then, not the meritorious basis of salvation. All of this means that believers according to the Bible, can have a firm assurance salvation.

We can know that we are saved because we are justified by faith alone.

Islam, however, teaches that paradise is the reward for those who submit to God and also by implication who submit to Mohammed, the messenger of God. Salvation is attained through faith and good works with some allowance for divine mercy salvation on the Islamic view doesn't require a radical supernatural internal spiritual change in our natural state, we are able to do good works that merit salvation, but since it's ultimately up to us to do these works. Muslims can have no assurance of salvation is no guarantee that you'll make it in the end of to draw one more point of contrast between Christianity and Islam regarding how God relates to believe it's how do these two face understand our relationship with God. How do we as Christians understand our relationship with God. Well, God relates to us primarily as a loving heavenly father, we are his sons that idea is utterly foreign to Islam. According to Islam, God relates to believers primarily as a sovereign heavenly monster, not a not a loving heavenly father but a sovereign heavenly monster. We are simply his servants, we should think of ourselves as slaves or servants of a law rather than sons of Allah, that would be in fact blasphemous to claim that well.

In light of that final point of contrast.

Let me encourage you to reflect a fresh on these words from the apostle Paul in his letter to the Galatians. This is Galatians chapter 4 verses six and seven. Just think, now of the significance of these words because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his son into our hearts, crying, Abba father, so you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son than an air from God what a precious precious promise that is see what kind of love the father has given to us that we should be called children of God.

And so we would a precious promise. Indeed, and what a profound difference. One religion that doesn't provide any assurance of salvation while the other rest confidently in the finished work of Christ in the loving kindness of God the father, Dr. James Anderson is our teacher today and tomorrow here on Renewing Your Mind. Dr. Anderson is a professor of theology and philosophy at reformed theological seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina, and an expert on Islam's series exploring. Islam prepares Christians to witness to their Muslim neighbors with gentleness and respect.

Would like to send you all 10 messages from the series there contained on two DVDs and we will send them to you when you contact us today with a donation of any amount. There are couple of ways you can reach us.

What is by phone at 800-435-4343 or if you prefer to give your gift online or web address is Renewing Your Mind.org we been studying Islam all weekend if you'd like your friends and family dear these programs look for the share button on our website will be able to post a link to Facebook or twitter or send the link via email and to do that. Just go to Renewing Your Mind.org whenever we have a better understanding of what Muslims believe Dr. Anderson will next provide some helpful advice on how to share the gospel with find a point of contact with Muslims that connects with their concerns and anxieties about how they relate to God and the spiritual state before God. Those are genuine concerns which the gospel actually addresses.

We hope you'll join us Friday for Renewing Your Mind