The person and work of Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of the Christian faith (I Corinthian 15; I John 4:10; Hebrews 2:16-18; Romans 3:24-26). Christians believe that Jesus is God incarnate [in the flesh] (John 1:1-3), that He loves us, and that He died on a cross for the sins of the world (John 1:29; I John 2:2). The Christian regards Jesus as the Lord and Savior of the world.
The religion of Islam does not believe in the same Jesus that Christians believe in. They believe in a Jesus they have concocted in their imaginations. The Qur’an (sometimes spelled ‘Koran’) is the holy book of the religion of Islam. The Qur’an has several things to say about someone called Jesus, although the person it describes is nothing like the Jesus Christ of the Bible. Let us investigate what Islamic Qur’an says about this Jesus.
[Qur’an verse locators, called Suras, have been included for those who wish to look up the references.]
The doctrines of Islam present a distorted picture of Jesus. This Islamic Jesus is nothing at all like the true Savior of the world, who loves us so much He willingly died on a cross to pay for our sins.
Islam says that Jesus was not deity; He is neither the Son of God nor any part of the Trinity
Muslims reject the idea that Jesus was God and consider the belief blasphemous (Sura 5:75). Islam says that Jesus was an apostle of Allah just like all the other apostles of Allah (Sura 5:78). The Qur’an says that anyone who believes Jesus is “the Son of God” is imitating “what the unbelievers of old used to say. God’s curse be on them; how they are deluded away from the Truth” (Sura 9:30). Islamic believes are in direct conflict with the Bible on this subject, as is evident from these clear passages:
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1 ESV).
“And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy— the Son of God”” (Luke 1:35 ESV).
“And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God”” (John 1:34 ESV).
“…but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31 ESV).
These are only a few of the instances in which Jesus is called the “Son of God”; there are many more. Even the demons recognized Him to be the Son of God (Matthew 8:29; Mark 3:11; Luke 4:41). One is free to disbelieve the Bible, but one cannot deny that it declares Jesus Christ to be the Son of God.
Islam says that Jesus was a prophet specifically to the Jews to point them to Muhammad, the true prophet of Allah
According to Islam, Jesus’ mission on earth was to take Allah’s message to the Jews, specifically. The message Jesus was to herald was that Allah’s supreme prophet, Muhammad, was coming. In the religion of Islam, Muhammad is considered the supreme prophet of Allah. All other men, prophets or otherwise, are beneath him. Therefore, in the Islamic view, Jesus is inferior to Muhammad. Muslims believe the purpose for Jesus’ existence was to be a sign of the soon-coming Muhammad (Sura 61:6).
The Bible, however, presents a completely different Jesus than does the Qur’an: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:1-5). The biblical Jesus was not anyone’s lackey; He was the Creator, Sustainer, and Savior of the universe. Islam presents a false Jesus.
Islam says that Jesus was never crucified on a cross
There are several competing theories put forth by different Muslim scholars concerning Jesus and the cross. Nevertheless, they all contain the belief that Jesus did not die on the cross for the sins of the world…or anything else (Sura 4:157). Briefly, some of the theories are:
1. Jesus appeared to be dead, but Allah really took him to away, still living, to be with Allah until a later date.
2. One of Jesus’ disciples willingly took His place on the cross after Allah changed the disciple’s appearance to look like Jesus’.
3. Judas, Pilate, or some other of Jesus’ enemies were unwillingly made to look like Jesus by Allah and crucified in Jesus’ place.
The Koran affirms Jesus’ virgin birth and many miraculous things he did. However, this all took place so that Jesus could point people to Allah and his prophet, Muhammad. The Jesus of Islam is a false prophet who leads people away from the truth, away from the true God, and away from true salvation. Islam is simply another man-made religious system utilized as a tool of the Devil to damn people’s souls to an eternity of torment separated from God.
The True Jesus of Scripture is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6)
The doctrines of Islam present a distorted picture of Jesus. This Islamic Jesus is nothing at all like the true Savior of the world, who loves us so much He willingly died on a cross to pay for our sins.
Christians have faith in the biblical Jesus,
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:15-20 ESV).
Without Jesus, the universe would not exist. He is the source of all.
This is the truth we must share with Muslims, so that they too might know the True Jesus and be saved.
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Resources
Beckwith, Francis J., William Lane Craig, and J. P. Moreland, eds. To Everyone an Answer. InterVarsity Press, 2004. pp. 350-371
Geisler, Norman L. and Abdul Saleeb. Answering Islam. Baker Book House, 1993. pp. 61-67
Martin, Walter. The Kingdom of the Cults. Bethany House Publishers, 1985. pp. 364-367
Mather, George A. and Larry A. Nichols. Dictionary of Cults, Sects, Religions and the Occult. Zondervan Publishing, 1993. pp. 139-145
Zacharias, Ravi. Beyond Opinion. Thomas Nelson, 2007. pp. 60-78
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version
“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
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