Christianity vs. Islamic beliefs

Transcription

1 Christianity vs. Islamic beliefs What is Islam? By definition is to submit to the entire system of the Islamic religion: tenets and law. The five pillars of Islam Confession of faith Prayer 5 times daily & Friday Congregational Prayer Fasting for the month of Ramadan. Pilgrimage to Ka aba in Mecca. Almsgiving Muslims Do Not Believe: In the fallen nature of man. In Jesus divinity. In the Trinity. In the crucifixion. In the redemption. In Jesus resurrection. In the Fatherhood of God. In the Holy Spirit. Muslims Do Believe In: One God (non-triune) Day of Judgment Angels Jesus virgin birth Satan Day of resurrection All prophets of Old & New Testament Heaven & Hell Second coming of Christ Original Scriptures, which they claim Jews & Christians have corrupted How to Reach Out to Muslims? 1. Love Understanding Sensitivity 2. Respect of their culture and faith in their religion 3. Understanding their mentality their family background 4. Through your Christian lifestyle 5. Helping them to look at our faith from a Biblical perspective 6. Avoid debates and arguments 7. Do not use terminology they don t understand 8. Through ceaseless prayer and perseverance 9. Through full obedience to the leadership of the Holy Spirit 10. Readiness to Sacrifice 11. Deeply rooted in your faith and the Bible 12. Knowledge of Islamic religion & Traditions 13. Knowledge of the history of the target group 14. Create an atmosphere of trust 15. Learn to use the right terminology 16. Use biblical references whenever possible 17. Use relevant Qur anic verses to lead them to the Bible ONLY 18. Help them to think and to look at the issues under discussion from a different angle 1

2 Pray 1. For God to break down the walls of Islam around the Muslim people hearts just as He did with Jericho. 2. For a clear vision and strategies for the missionaries and the Christian workers among Muslims. 3. For God to open the eyes of the American and European people about the danger and deception of Islam. 4. For the safety of all Christian workers among Muslim peoples. Sin in Islam In Islam sin is an error and is the result of weakness. Mankind is born sinless and without a sinful nature. Breaking the law of Allah and not doing his will is sin (7:33). When man commits sin it harms him only (7:22). The Qur an even teaches that Allah created man's evil deeds, so man must do them. Sin does not grieve Allah (37:96; 54:49). Allah does not love the sinner (7:55; 42:40). It is Allah, at his will, who decides whom to punish and whom not to punish (3:124; 5:118). Man can increase his good deeds to get God's favor and get forgiveness of his sins (21:47). The most serious sin that can be ascribed to people is that of "shirk" or considering god as more than one. Sin in Christianity Christians believe sin is "missing the mark." Sin is missing God's set standard. Man misses God's mark by rebelling against God (Psalm 51:4); by breaking the law (1 John 3:4). According to the Bible all mankind has sinned and become guilty before God (Rom.3:23). Man's sin grieves God (Psalm 78:40) and breaks fellowship between him and God; and among fellow men (1 John 1:3, 6, 7; Isaiah 59:2, 3). Man is born in sin therefore he commits sin (Rom. 5:12, 19). The Bible teaches that God hates sin but loves the sinner (Rom. 5:6-8). God forgives sins of those who trust in Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:19-21). Good works do not earn forgiveness but forgiveness is a free gift (Eph. 2:8-9). A careful study of the Bible reveals that sin enters into the world three way: Inherited sin - is a result of the fall of man. Man himself generates his own sin by knowingly or unknowingly disobeying God. Satan who is the source of original temptation. The final result of sin is alienation from God. 2

3 Mankind in Islam According to Islam, mankind is born pure. However he is weak, fragile and forgetful, therefore he commits sin (4:28; 33:72; 80:23). Muslims believe that man did not inherited original sin from Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve were forgiven from their sin; therefore no sin remained in them. Thus, we as their children are not basically sinful. Man is religious and longs to worship Allah (30:30; 51:46). Man is slave to Allah and superior to angels (15:28-30, 42; 18:88). In Islam, man considers woman as less than an equal, and while a man has the right to divorce his wife, the wife has no similar power (see Surah 2:228, 4:34). Salvation in Islam In Islam salvation is not assured to anyone but is determined by God's will. The basis of salvation is by declaration of faith, as well as by compiling good deeds primarily in conformity to the five pillars (19:60; 47:2). Salvation is based on three basic conditions: Repentance (3:88-89, 135; 4:17-18); Faith (4:136); and good works (2:279; 23:1-11). Allah will judge the world at the end of time. The good deeds and obedience of all people to the five pillars and the Qur'an will serve as the basis of judgment. Lack of assurance of salvation Muslim live in uncertainty and fear. Mankind in Christianity Christians believe man is made in the image of God (Gen 1:27). He was made from the dust of the earth, and God breathed breath of life into him (Gen. 2:7). Man is sinner by nature therefore he commits sin. All men are sinners (Rom. 6:23). However, when man accepts Jesus Christ he will declared sinless by Christ through his shed blood. At the end of physical death Christians enjoy fellowship with Christ (Matt. 22:32; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23). Salvation in Christianity The Bible teaches that our basic need is the deliverance from sin and judgment of God and the restoration life eternal. It is provided to anyone who accepts God's grace. Salvation is a gift from God through faith in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:8-10). It is impossible to earn one's salvation by good works (Titus 3:1-7). Religious deeds and exercises do not provide salvation (Matt. 7:22023; Rom 9:32, Gal. 2:16; Eph 2:8-9). The Christian hope of eternal life is that all true believers in Christ will not only have personal existence 3

4 but also have personal fellowship with God. The Muslim Isa (Jesus) There are two main sources for Isa, the Muslim Jesus. The Qur an gives a history of his life, while the Hadith collections recollections of Muhammad s words and deeds establish his place in the Muslim understanding of the future. The Qur an Isa, was a prophet of Islam Jesus true name, according to the Qur an, was Isa. His message was pure Islam, surrender to Allah. (Âl 'Imran 3:84) Like all the Muslim prophets before him, and like Muhammad after him, Isa was a lawgiver, and Christians should submit to his law. (Âl 'Imran 3:50; Al-Ma idah 5:48) Isa s original disciples were also true Muslims, for they said We believe. Bear witness that we have surrendered. We are Muslims. (Al-Ma idah 5:111) The Books Like other messengers of Islam before him, Isa received his revelation of Islam in the form of a book. (Al-An am 6:90) Isa s book is called the Injil or gospel. (Al-Ma idah 5:46) The Torah was Moses book, and the Zabur (Psalms) were David s book. So Jews and Christians are people of the Book. The one religion revealed in these books was Islam. (Âl 'Imran 3:18) As with previous prophets, Isa s revelation verified previous prophets revelations. (Âl 'Imran 3:49,84; Al- Ma idah 5:46; As-Saff 61:6) Muhammad himself verified all previous revelations, including the revelation to Isa (An-Nisa 4:47), and so Muslims must believe in the revelation which Isa received. (Al- Baqarah 2:136) However, after Isa the Injil was lost in its original form. Today the Qur an is the only sure guide to Isa s teaching. The biography of Isa According to the Qur an, Isa was the Messiah. He was supported by the Holy Spirit. (Al-Baqarah 2:87; Al-Ma idah 5:110) He is also referred to as the Word of Allah. (An-Nisa 4:171) Isa s mother Mariam was the daughter of Imran, (Âl 'Imran 3:34,35) cf the Amram of Exodus 6:20 and the sister of Aaron (and Moses). (Maryam 19:28) She was fostered by Zachariah (father of John the Baptist). (Âl 'Imran 3:36) While still a virgin (Al-An am 6:12; Maryam 19:19-21) Mariam gave birth to Isa alone in a desolate place under a date palm tree. (Maryam 19:22ff) (Not in Bethlehem). Isa spoke while still a baby in his cradle. (Âl 'Imran 3:46; Al-Ma idah 5:110; Maryam 19:30) He performed various other miracles, including breathing life into clay birds, healing the blind and lepers, and raising the dead. (Âl 'Imran 3:49; Al- Ma idah 5:111) He also foretold the coming of Muhammad. (As-Saff 61:6) 4

5 Critical Comments on the Muslim Isa (Jesus) Isa not a historical figure. The Qur an s Isa is not an historical figure. His identity and role as a prophet of Islam is based solely on supposed revelations to Muhammad over half a millennium after the Jesus of history lived and died. Jesus name was never Isa. Jesus mother tongue was Aramaic. In his own lifetime he was called Yeshua in Aramaic, and Jesu in Greek. Jesus did not receive a book. There is absolutely no evidence that Jesus received a book of revelation from God. The gospels of the Bible are biographies. Apparently this is where Muhammad got his mistaken idea of the Injil being a book. Most so-called prophets of Islam received no book. Virtually all of the so-called prophets of Islam, whose names are taken from the Hebrew Scriptures, received no book or law code. Biblical prophecy and Islamic prophecy is not the same thing. The Biblical understanding of prophecy is quite different from Muhammad s. A Biblical prophecy is not regarded as a passage from a heavenly eternally pre-existent text like the Qur an, but a message from God for a specific time and place. Conclusion Isa (Jesus) of the Qur an is a product of fable, imagination and ignorance. When Muslims venerate this Isa, they have someone different in mind from the Yeshua or Jesus of the Bible and of history. The Isa of the Qur an is based on no recognized form of historical evidence, but on fables current in seventh century Arabia. The Cross Islam rejects the whole concept of the cross. Muslims allege that it is against reason to claim that God, the Omnipotent, would not forgive man's sins without the cross. To say so is to limit God's power. When repentance, they say, is combined with God's mercy and forgiveness, it becomes sufficient to award the penitent all the pleasures of the paradise promised in the Qur an. Muslim denial of the crucifixion of Christ aims at negating the whole concept of atonement, or even the need for a savior. To Muslims salvation could be achieved without shedding blood, that is, without the atoning act that took its final and eternal form on the cross in the person of Christ. This is the very thing all Muslims strongly denounce. Muslims believe that both repentance and good deeds are sufficient to save people from their iniquities because forgiveness always depends on God's mercy and his will. Muslims also do not believe that there is a need for an intercessor between man and God. 5

6 What the Bible says about Jesus What the Qur an says about Muhammad Jesus Muhammad Is the son of God John 10:36 Performed miracles Mark 7:37 Knows what is in the people s heart Rev. 2:23 Interceded for the people to His father, God 1 John 2:1-2 Stopped the people using the sword Matt. 26:52 Taught about forgiveness Matt. 5:38-39 Was without sin 1 Peter 2:2 His words were unchanging and eternal Matt. 24:35 Cast demons out of people Matt 4:10 Cannot be overpowered by the Devil John 14:30 Healed a blind person Luke 18:35-43 Called the people to come to him. Matt. 11:28-30 Taught the people to marry one women Matt. 19:5-6 Came to save the people Luke 9:56 Gave the people the right to accept his message or to refuse it Luke 10:10-11 Is alive and his followers will be alive as well John 11:25 Was a man - a human being Surah 18:110 Could not perform miracles Surah 17:59 Could not know what was in the people s heart. Surah 11:31 Wasn t Surah 9:80 Encouraged the people to use the sword Surah 8:65 Taught about revenge Surah 2:194 Sinned Surah 47:19 Contradicted himself continually Surah 16:101 Used to sit down with them Surah 46:29 The Devil has power over him. Surah 7:200 Turned his face away from the blind Kicked the people away from him Surah 80:1-10 Taught the people that they could take two, three, or four wives. Surah 4:3 Came to kill the people Surah 48:16 Forced the people to accept his message Surah 9:29 Is dead as well as his followers Surah 39:30 6

7 THE NATURE OF GOD Does God Change? Is God Deceptive? Is God a Trinity YAHWEH GOD vs. ALLAH CHRISTIANITY: Yahweh God does not change. James 1: 17: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no varying, neither shadow of turning. God loves everyone. John 3: 16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Matt. 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. ISLAM: Allah Allah of Islam changes. Surah 2: 106 If We supersede any verse or cause it to be forgotten, We bring a better one or one similar. Do you not know that Allah has power over all things! Allah is temperamental. Surah 32: 13:If we so willed, we could have brought every soul its true guidance, but the word from me will come true: I will fill Hell with demons and men all together. Islam believes the Christian trinity is God the Father, God the Mother (Mary) and God the Son (Jesus). Surah 5: 116: And behold! God will say: O Jesus the son of Mary didst say unto men, worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of Allah? 7