Do Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God?

It seems we have an opportunity right now to advance the conversation between Christians and Muslims, both to assist Christians to understand not only their faith better, but what Muslims believe, and likewise in the same way to do the same thing for Muslims.

What do I mean? Well, I can't tell you how many times just recently, over the past few days, I have seen articles being posted under the title, Do Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God? Not all of them were actually seeking to, you know, advance the conversation.

They were just sort of staking out ground that the authors had already explained in the past. But there is right now, because of what happened at Wheaton College, a professor who decided to wear the hijab to show solidarity with Muslims was disciplined primarily, not for the hijab thing, but for saying that Christians and Muslims worship the same God.

And Wheaton said no, and that was an appropriate statement they took. Now, of course, they have been accused of religious bigotry and everything else in the process, and I want to explain to my Muslim friends why that is not religious bigotry at all.

It is simply maintaining consistent Christian biblical beliefs. At the same time, use it to interact a little bit with Sheikh Yasir Qadhi. Dr. Qadhi, someone I have learned a lot from. Here is one of the first books I read on Shirk by Dr. Qadhi.

It is an explanation of one of Al-Wahhab's works, a critical study of Shirk. Dr. Qadhi has been known as a leader in the Salafi movement in years past. He has moved away from that. I certainly have sensed a movement on his part in some other directions.

He stood up against ISIS. He has identified them as Karajites and appreciates what he has said on those issues and things like that. But he seemed likewise to feel that what Wheaton did was wrong. And we certainly need to understand that the Quran is fairly clear.

I am going to be using the new study Quran. It seems like an excellent translation. Very interesting notes as we may have an opportunity to see a little bit later. But there really isn't any question from the Quran's perspective that the answer is yes, we worship the same God.

On one level, on one level. In Surah Al-Ankabut, the spider, Surah 29, Ayah 46, And dispute not with the Al-Kitab, the people of the Book, save in the most virtuous manner, unless it be those of them who have done wrong.

I am not sure what that means to do wrong. Was it wrong for me to write a book on the Quran? To not believe in the prophethood of Muhammad, even though I have read the Quran numerous times and numerous translations?

Another issue we can't get into today. And say, here is the key point, we believe in that which was sent down unto us, and what was sent down unto you. So what was sent down unto us? That would be the Quran to the Muslims.

And what was sent down to you is the Gospel. And in fact, in Surah 5, the Al-Injil, the people of the Gospel, are specifically held accountable for believing and judging by what is in the Injil. Now, I don't think the Quran makes a lick of sense if you do not recognize that the author of the Quran believed that the Injil existed in his day.

There are just too many places where it does not make any sense. I know that most modern Muslims want to say that the Injil had been corrupted, lost, so on and so forth. It doesn't make any sense. We believe in that which was sent down unto us, the Quran, and was sent down unto you.

Our God and your God are one, and unto Him are we submitters, that is, Muslims, those who submit. So, there is the statement, our God and your God are one. So, what's being stated? That the God who revealed Himself to Abraham, which the Jews look back to, through the Jews the Christians look back to, and the Muslims look back to, that that was Allah.

It's one God. Now, if we just stop there, I don't think that's doing justice, either to what Christians believe about worship, or to what Muslims believe. Because, well, the worst sin that you can commit in Islam is shirk, idolatry.

Why? Because it's the negation of Tawhid, the oneness of Allah. And, so it's unforgivable. The Quran is straightforward. If you die as a mushrik, there is no forgiveness for you. Hellfire will be your abode.

And so, if you keep that in mind, there are some texts in the Quran that seem to equate Christian worship with shirk. If you don't believe me, let me just read one of them. There's a number of them. If you read through Surah 5, you'll see a number.

Surah 5, 17, 18, 5, 71 through 78 or so. Surah 5, 116 is very interesting. But here in Surah 4, Al-Nisas, the women, Surah 4, Ayat 171. And again, reading from the study Quran here. O people of the book, and in this case it's going to be clear.

Al-Kitab here is specifically about Christians. O people of the book, do not exaggerate in your religion. Go into excess. That's what the term means. So, most would understand that to be an assertion that we've been given truth, but we've gone beyond it.

In fact, that we have been led astray. In fact, as far as I understand, the early Tafsir interpretation of Surah Al-Fatiha at the end. Those who have been led astray. Those who are in God's wrath, Jews.

Those who have been led astray, Christians. And every Muslim prays every single day not to be a Jew or a Christian. And that would be the same range of meaning here. Going into excess, going beyond what is true.

Do not exaggerate in your religion. Nor utter anything concerning God save the truth. So, the context here is you're saying something about a law that is not true. You're saying something about a law that misrepresents him.

And what might that be? Well, verily, the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, was only, he was a mere Rasul. He was only a messenger of God. And his word, which he committed to Mary, and a spirit from him.

So, believe in Allah, believe in God and his messengers. And then, here you go. And say not thalath. Three. Three. Say not three. I'm glad they did not put the word trinity in here, because it's not the technical term for trinity.

It's just the ordinal number three. But, it says, say not three, refrain, it is better for you. God is only one God. Glory be to him that he should have a child. Now, over in Los Angeles, they have two professional basketball teams.

The Lakers and the Clippers. For a long time, it was only like one and a half. Now it's, Clippers are good. So, Lakers aren't quite as good. If I was speaking to someone in Los Angeles, and I said, do not say two.

There is only one basketball team in Los Angeles. Would there be any question as to what I meant by two? Of course not. Is there really any question? What the Quran is saying when it says, say not three, refrain, it is better for you.

God is only one God. There is only one Allah. So, what's the Quran saying? There are not three Allahs. Three Gods. It's an accusation of polytheism. Now, it's interesting. The new study Quran, check this note out.

It's a very, very interesting translation and commentary. Despite these strong criticisms of Christian Trinitarian doctrine, as well as the implication through juxtaposition in 572 -73, that Christian beliefs in the divinity of Jesus and in God as the third of three, which is the language that's used there, can be understood as a kind of shirk, ascribing partners unto God.

Remember, shirk is unforgivable. Islamic law never considered Christians to be idolaters, Mushrikun, and accepted Christians' own assertions of monotheistic belief maintain the clear distinction the Quran itself makes between idolaters, Mushrikun, and the people of the book.

So, they're recognizing that if you put this together with 572 -73, sounds like saying shirk, but Muslim law's never done that. Well, why not? What's your ultimate authority, Muslim law or the Quran? It leaves it open.

It doesn't answer the question, which I find absolutely fascinating, and, to be honest with you, rather troubling as well. So, I'd like to try to help people, especially Muslims, to understand, but Christians as well, because I've encountered some Christians that don't really seem to understand why this is such an important issue and why this has to be something that we focus upon in our conversations with Muslims.

Do we worship the same God? Well, if we're talking about the God of Abraham, which we would say Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, you would say Abraham and Ishmael, primarily. Obviously, we're talking historically about the God who called Abraham out of the Ur of Chaldees.

And so, on that level, yes, we're talking about the same God. That's not the same thing as worshipping the same God. And that's where I think a lot of the problems have come up. Dr. Anderson at RTS in Charlotte put out a blog article, I think yesterday, where he asked, I don't know, four, five, six questions about, well, what are we really asking here?

What are some of the things that we need to bring into consideration? Because a lot of people were not. A lot of people were just simply saying, well, there's differences between what Christians and Muslims believe about God, so therefore, rather than really thinking through what the issues are.

Well, I don't have time to go through all those philosophical things here, but I don't think you necessarily need to to be able to understand that the answer to the question is, on one level, yes, but on the most important level, no, we do not worship the same God.

Because, you see, worship is not the same thing as just simply giving a definition of, well, our God first historically revealed himself at such and such time. That's not what worship is. And I would think most Muslims would recognize this.

I would think that the highest level of Islamic thought would recognize this as well. And that the highest Islamic response would be, no, while we affirm what is said in Surah 29, that historically we're talking about the same God, when it comes to worship, no.

Because I think a lot of Muslims understand that serious Christian worship is absolutely, definitionally Trinitarian. And that serious Islamic worship is Unitarian. Both monotheistic, difference between Unitarianism and Trinitarianism.

Let me give you an example. And I read this because, just as most of my Christian friends have never read the Quran, most of my Islamic friends have never read the New Testament, or most of the Bible for that matter.

And so I want to give you a picture of Christian worship in heaven to give you an idea of how central Jesus is to Christian worship. This is in the book of Revelation. And it gives us a picture of what is happening in the heavenly realms.

And one has appeared before the throne of God, the Lamb. He stands as if slain. This Lamb is representing Jesus. He stands as if slain. Even though he's been slain, he now stands. He's resurrected. He has given his life.

He's now been exalted to the Father's right hand. And when he had taken, the Lamb, had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

And they sang a new song, saying, Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals. For you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

And you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and living creatures and the elders, the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.

By the way, the very same language that had been addressed to he who sits upon the throne in the earlier chapter. And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea and all that is in them saying, To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever.

Did you catch that? To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever. And the four living creatures said, Amen, and the elders fell down and worshipped.

And who are they worshipping? He who sits upon the throne and the Lamb. And the Lamb. Now, that is absolutely vitally important to understand. When we talk about worship, we're no longer talking about a mere academic exercise of definition.

We're talking about what we really believe God is because we desire to worship him as he truly is. And you see, the assertion of the Christian faith is that something amazing took place in history. The Old Testament scriptures prophesied it.

The New Testament scriptures were written in the light of it already having happened. And what was it? It was the incarnation of the Son and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Now, included in the incarnation is then his ministry, his self-sacrifice, his death upon the cross, his burial, his resurrection the third day, his exaltation in the right hand of the Father.

But something happened in history. The Son entered into human flesh. Upon the successful completion of his ministry, he returns to the Father, and he and the Father send the Spirit to indwell all those who would believe in Jesus Christ to empower them to live as the body of Christ, as the people of God.

Now, Islam comes into existence. I know Islam believes it has always existed. I know about the mythic and all the rest of that. But historically, Islam comes into existence half a millennium after these events, and so it has to interact with them.

And what does it do? It denies that Jesus is the Son of God. It denies the incarnation. It denies the crucifixion, Surah 4, verse 157. Hence the resurrection, Christ's intermediary work, the entirety of the Gospel, and hence has no place whatsoever for the worship that was just seen there in Revelation chapter 5.

No place at all. Now, if what the New Testament records for us is true, it happened in history, if the Son has been raised from the dead, then God the Father has testified of the truthfulness of what the Son taught and what the Son did.

And so after that tremendous self-revelation, could anyone argue? I know that modern man does, but think about it for just a moment. Could anyone argue that even though God has done this, even though God has given this testimony, that there are still other valid ways of worshiping God even while specifically denying the testimony He has made to His Son?

The New Testament says no. The Testament says if you do not confess the Son, you do not have the Father. We are to honor the Son even as we honor the Father. It's very straightforward. It's very clear.

Not very popular today in an age, obviously, where all religious truth is just your opinion, somebody else's opinion, it doesn't really matter. But that is the biblical testimony. And so do I believe that the author of the Quran even understood what the New Testament said in those places?

Not in the least. I have no evidence of it whatsoever. But you need to understand. That means the author of the Quran is not Allah. Because even if the New Testament is wrong in what it says there, God knew what it said there 600 years later.

Could have refuted it. Never did. Didn't even interact with it. The author of the Quran gives no understanding of the relationship of Father and Son. In fact, Surah 4, verse 171 says, Glory be to Him that He should have a child.

What does that mean? I can only interpret that in the context of the polytheism of the Kaaba and the three, the only place in the Quran where the three are ever mentioned is Surah 5, verse 116. And that's not what Christians believe.

We don't believe that God had a consort and then He had a child. So, Christian worship, worship, is inherently, intrinsically, definitionally, Trinitarian. It accepts what God has testified concerning His own being, His own existence in the person of Jesus Christ.

And Islam says, no. Cannot go there. Cannot do that. So, do we worship the same God? In taking into consideration everything and being serious about the depth, both of the Christian dedication to Trinitarian worship and the Islamic emphasis upon Tawhid, the answer has to be no.

No. So, it's a yes and no answer. Yes on a surface level, on merely a historical level. No on the most serious, meaningful level. We do not worship the same God. Now, I don't know why that's not more of the central response on both sides, but I think it needs to be, and I think we need to think about it and consider it so we can have even more in-depth interaction.

And again, move the conversation forward. Advance it. Instead of just staking out our sides and lobbing verbal bombs at one another, let's move forward from this point. I think that's the best way to go.

I hope you have enjoyed this video. I hope it's been challenging to you. I hope it's made you think, whether you're a Christian or a Muslim. But let's not stop there. Let's continue forward. My prayer, my hope, the longing of my heart is that every Muslim watching this video, that you will come to know the one who made you, the one who sustained you, the one in whom you have your very existence, and that is my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

He is a perfect Savior. He was the Son of God, the Creator of all things. We cannot view Him as a mere rasool, a mere prophet. He was much more than that. And my prayer is, you'll come to know Him as He truly is.

Thanks for watching.