The Islamic population of the United States is growing. According to the 2015 Pew Research Center’s survey of the adult American religious landscape (see it at: http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/), the percentage of Muslims in the U.S. population more than doubled from .4% in 2007 to .9% in 2014, and it is still rising. That translates to about 2.5 – 3 million adult Muslims now in this country; mostly here as a result of immigration. This continued increase, for good or bad, makes it virtually inevitable that we will encounter Muslims in our communities, on the job, at school, or in business. This fact means we will have opportunities to interact with Muslims and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them.
That being said, we need to realize that most Muslims have been taught certain things about Jesus and Christianity that will color their perception of our beliefs and practices. As a consequence we will get questions from them that we need to be ready to answer when the time comes. In this article, I want to present five such questions that we may be asked from our Muslim acquaintances, and suggest ways we can answer them effectively. (Note: My thanks to Dr. Glenn Igleheart, former Director of the Interfaith Witness Department of the SBC Home Mission Board, for suggesting these questions [The Student, Nov. 1984]. They are more relevant now than ever. The responses are mine – Tal Davis.)
Question 1
“America is a Christian nation. But look at all the crime, violence, divorce, pornography, and emphasis on sex here. Is this what Christianity teaches?”
This question reveals a great misconception that most Muslims have about the United States and Western nations in general. They are taught that since some countries in the past had Christianized cultures that they must still be “Christian nations.” Sad to say, that is no longer true (if it ever really was). The influence of Christianity and its values in America, and even more-so in Europe, have diminished drastically over the last several generations. Muslims look at the decadent moral state of the West and assume that it is actually acceptable to Christians. (They often ignore the fact that most predominantly Islamic countries tolerate as much or more moral vice as do those in the West.)
We should respond by letting our Muslim friend know that the Bible and Christianity do not teach or encourage immoral behaviors. Let them know that genuine Christians seek to live holy lives that reflect how Jesus lived and what He taught. Christians are just as troubled by those societal evils as are they. We work hard to discourage people from doing them, and support legal authorities who seek to control them. Clarify the fact that true Christianity should not be equated with any culture, nation, or even church. Stress that the Christian faith focuses on the person of Jesus Christ – who He was and what He did.
Question 2
“We believe that there is only one God. Why do you teach there are three?”
Here again we see a common Muslim misconception about historic Christianity. Most Muslims think that the doctrine of the Holy Trinity is polytheistic and teaches three gods and not one. Also many have the false concept that the Trinity consists, not of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but of the Father, Son, and Mary. That may be due to the fact that many Muslim’s only exposure to Christianity is what is taught in Roman Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy. The are offended by the idea that God has a son (see question 3) and that God has a wife (Mary).
Of course, neither Catholics nor Orthodox churches teach that concept of the Trinity. Nonetheless, because of the heavy emphasis in those two traditions on Mary as the “Mother of God,” it is easy to see why Muslims and others in non-Christian religions might think she is believed to be divine.
In response to that inquiry, we need immediately to establish the fact that the Bible and Christianity teach there is only one God. They do not teach, and we do not believe, there are three gods. Take the time to carefully explain the doctrine of the Trinity as best you can. Confess that it is not an easy concept to understand or explain, but that the New Testament clearly indicates that the Father is God, Jesus is God, and the Holy Spirit (not Mary) is God. They are three Persons in One God.
Perhaps an illustration may help. You could use the illustration of the three dimensions of height, length, and width. Some explain using the analogy of body, mind, and spirit. Some say a mathematical equation can help: 1 x 1 x 1 = 1. (I like this equation: ? + ? + ? = ? [? = infinity].) But keep in mind, no earthly analogy is adequate to explain the Trinity. Only because God is both infinite and eternal can the Trinity be true, and it is beyond our human capability fully to comprehend.
Question 3
“I honor Jesus as a prophet. What more do you want from me?”
It is true that Jesus has a prominent place in Islam. Jesus is called “Isa” in the Qur’an, and is mentioned in 15 separate Suras (chapters). Muslims regard Him as one of the greatest of the prophets, perhaps second only to Muhammad. They believe His many miracles are sure signs that He came from Allah. Ironically, they acknowledge that Muhammad did no miracles except transcribe the Qur’an from angelic dictation.
Muslims also affirm that Jesus was born of a virgin. The Qur’an states: “And Mary the daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity; and We breathed into (her body) of Our spirit; and she testified to the truth of the words of her Lord and of his Revelations, and was one of the devout (servants).” (Sura 66:12)
Despite His miraculous life, Islam totally rejects the idea that Jesus is the “Son of God.” “No son did God beget, nor is there any god along with him” (Sura 23:91). Muslims regard the notion of God becoming a man blasphemous.
Islam also denies that Jesus died on the Cross. It is unthinkable that a prophet of God could have died in that way. So Muslims believe that God took Jesus from the cross and substituted Judas in His place, or at least someone who looked like Jesus. Jesus was then taken to heaven where He is alive and from where one day He will return.”They killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not.” (Sura 4:157) Islam also asserts that Jesus was not raised from the dead. Since Muslims believe Jesus did not die, the question of His resurrection makes no sense to them.
This view of Jesus obviously presents a challenge to Christians trying to witness to Muslims. Start by showing them that the Qur’an itself testifies to Jesus’ miraculous birth and miracles. Then explain the historical basis for His death and resurrection. It may be the first time they have ever heard anyone talk about Jesus in that way.
Highlight these reasons to believe Jesus actually rose from the dead and appeared to His disciples (Gary Habermas): (1) The disciples were willing to die specifically for their resurrection belief; (2) Jesus’ half-brother James was a skeptic, but became a believer after the resurrection; (3) the tomb in which Jesus was buried was found empty shortly afterwards by the women and the disciples; (4) Jesus’ resurrection was the very heart of early Christian faith, which indicates its reality; (5) Paul had clearly been a powerful enemy of the early Christian message, but converted on the road to Damascus after seeing the resurrected Lord; and (6) for 2,000 years, nonbelievers have failed to explain what happened to Jesus if He was not actually raised.
Give your Muslim friend a copy of the New Testament – what they call the Injil (Gospel of Jesus). That may lead to question four.
Question 4
“Why do you want me to read the Bible? It does not contain the gospel of Jesus which has been lost.”
Islam considers Jews and Christians to be “People of the Book.” That is, Muslims credit Jews and Christians for believing in one God as taught in the Bible. Nonetheless, they argue that the biblical text as it now stands has been tampered with and corrupted by pagan influences and philosophy, and is unreliable. Thus, they say, it needed to be replaced with a more accurate revelation. That new revelation came directly from God Himself in the 7th century to the “Seal (final ultimate authority) of the Prophets” – Muhammad. That revelation is perfectly preserved in the Qur’an, so they say.
Thus, Muslims have been taught that the Bible, though it speaks of the prophets, is inaccurate, and that the true Gospel of Jesus (Injil) was lost. That true gospel, they say, would have been virtually identical to what Muhammad taught seven centuries later. They also assert that prophecies about Muhammad can be found in the Bible (e.g.: references to the coming “Helper” in John 14:16-17).
So, to answer our Muslim friend’s objections to the Bible, we will need to take the time to explain why Islam’s assumptions about it are incorrect. We can assert that the actual texts that the biblical writers penned have been accurately preserved from antiquity. The first texts of the Bible are what we call the original autographs. Admittedly, no original autographs written by the original authors of any of the Bible books still exist. Nevertheless, we have thousands of textual copies, some from the Old Testament dating back as early as two centuries before Christ (eg.: The Dead Sea Scrolls). More than 5,000 early texts of the New Testament dating from the early 2nd century are in existence. Thus, the extant ancient texts of the Bible are far more numerous and date much earlier than any other ancient writings.
Therefore, it is accurate to say that the texts of the Bible were copied and distributed faithfully from ancient times to the present. Scholars are more than 99% sure that the New Testament autographs are preserved in the various texts now available. Share these facts with your Muslim friends, then challenge them to read the New Testament you offer (if they do not read English, try to locate an online New Testament in their native language).
Question 5
“Why do you say that Jesus was the Son of God?”
This question goes straight to the heart of the matter. We should even commend the Muslim for realizing what the real issue is. Muslim believers may be surprised if you laud them for the question. Islam, as we said, recognizes Jesus as a great prophet. However, Muslims are reluctant to call Him “Son of God.”
In Islamic theology, God (Allah) is so far removed from creation that it is impossible to use any analogy to describe him. Islam only uses names for God that describe his characteristics not his person. Even the name Allah is a contraction of Arabic words meaning “the god” – more a title than a name. In Islam, to bring God down to human terms is unthinkable. Thus, they often think Christians are committing idolatry. Radical Muslims consider that an offense worthy of death, as we have seen in areas controlled by ISIS or the Taliban where many Christians have been martyred for refusing to renounce their faith.
So how, then, do we explain the uniqueness of Jesus to a Muslim? First, we need to clarify that the term “Son of God” does not denote any sort of physical relationship between God and Mary. What we mean is that Jesus has a special relationship with God unlike any other person. This is where we can show them what the New Testament says about who Jesus was. Show them passages like John 1:1-14; 8:58; and others where Jesus claimed to be equal with God. Ask, “Would Jesus say something that was not true?” They will have to say “no” since they regard Him as a prophet. Then show them other verses like Col. 1:15-17; 2:9 that testify to Jesus’ divinity.
Next, explain why Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for sins. Pray that this will open their heart to understand their need for Jesus as their own Savior. Ask them to pray and ask God to reveal to them the truth. Many former Muslims have testified that God has shown them in dreams that Jesus is the Son of God.
Above all, be patient and show your Muslim friends the love that only Jesus can give. They can have no objections or questions to that.
© 2018 Tal Davis