Transcript
A (0:00)
Islam is not the only religion that is passionately committed to monotheism. Historic Judaism is as well, and I might add to those two world religions in terms of passion for monotheism. There is no religion in this world more passionately committed to monotheism than Christianity.
B (0:25)
Since Christianity and Islam are both monotheistic religions, does that mean we worship the same God? We'll hear how R.C. sproul and a former Muslim answer that question today on Renewing youg Mind. Welcome to the Wednesday edition of Renewing youg Mind, the daily discipleship podcast of Ligonier Ministries. These days, it's not unusual to have Muslim neighbors, co workers or friends. In a sense, the mission field has come to us. That's why it's important to know what Islam teaches and how Christians can engage and share the gospel. It's also why we're featuring two series this week on the topic of Islam. You have heard messages so far from a 2002 conversation between R.C. sproul and former Muslim Abdul Saleeb. If you'd like to hear the entirety of that conversation, it's an eight message study. Give a gift today at renewingyourmind.org or by calling us at 800-435-4343 and we'll unlock the series for you in the free Ligonier app. So what do Muslims believe that Christians believe about God and the Trinity? Let's listen in on that conversation between Dr. Sproul and Abdul.
A (1:47)
In our last session, we looked at the objection that Muslims have to the Christian understanding of the fatherhood of God and our being called the children of God. But we also heard in our first segment that Abdul mentioned that one of the major stumbling blocks has to do with the Trinity. Do you want to set that before us in this session?
C (2:11)
Yes, Muslims believe that the essence of knowledge is the fact that there is one God and one God alone. In fact, the Quran is filled with passages that talk about the sovereignty, the majesty, the absolute transcendence of God, and that Muslims believe that the gift of Islam to the world of religions is pure monotheism. Every other religion has kind of gotten off the track. Basically, God has sent prophets to all humanity. They've all brought the same message, that there is one true God and we need to worship him and obey Him. But all religions have gotten off track. But Islam is the final religion of God to humanity. That's what Muslims believe and that the gift of Islam is to restore purity monotheism to the world. And in fact, it is at this point that Muslims believe that Christianity has been profoundly corrupted by introducing the notion of the Trinity. To Muslim ears, it sounds very much like we are compromising the unity and oneness of God and we are introducing a plurality, a compoundness into the being and nature of God. There are actually only two verses in the entire Quran that specifically refer to the doctrine of the Trinity. One passage in the Quran is surah or chapter 4, verse 171. It reads, O people of the book. People of the Book are Jews and Christians. O people of the Book, commit no excesses in your religion, nor say of God anything but the truth. Christ the son of Mary was no more than an apostle of God and his Word which he bestowed on Mary. And then the first goes on to say, say not Trinity, desist. It will be better for you. For God is one God, glory be to him. And then there is another passage in the Quran, Surah 5, verse 76. They do blaspheme who say, God is one of three in a trinity, for there is no God except one God. If they desist not from their word of blasphemy, verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them. Now, at the end of this Surah 5, there is a conversation RC, that is supposed to take place between Jesus and God on the day of judgment. And God turns to Jesus on the day of judgment according to Surah 5:19. And he says, and behold God will say, o Jesus, son of Mary, didst thou say unto men, worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of God. He, Jesus will say, glory to thee. Never could I say what I had no right to say. Had I said such a thing, thou wouldst indeed have known it. Thou knowest what is in mine heart, though I know not what is in thine. Never said I to them ought, except that thou didst command me to say, worship God, my Lord and your Lord. So basically based on this passage. Now, some people believe that Prophet Muhammad profoundly misunderstood the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. And some believe that early Muslims thought of the Trinity as the Father, Mary and Jesus, based on the passage that says, did you say to people, worship my mother and me in derogation of God? But we're not gonna get into those kind of finer points. But the bottom line is this, that based on these Quranic passages and based on the fundamental notion that there is one God, Muslims have denied the doctrine of the Trinity. And so they accuse Christians of committing not only a blasphemy by claiming that there is more to that oneness of God, but that they also commit logical fallacy that the doctrine of the Trinity basically is an incoherent, illogical notion that Christian themselves don't know most of the time what it is that they're supposed to believe, to say nothing of trying to explain or defend this to an outsider. There is a Muslim theologian by the name of Shabir Akhtar. He studied at Cambridge. He has really tried for a Muslim. I really commend him for really trying to understand the Christian point of view, what the outsiders say. And even in his book, a book I have in my hand the Faith for All Seasons, this is what he writes. I just want to read a passage for you, just to get a feeling. He says it is indeed difficult to avoid being impressed by the peculiar content and sheer incredibleness of some Christian creedal claims. It may fairly be said, at the risk of sounding polemical and unsympathetic, that among monotheistic creeds, embrace of Christianity requires assent to the largest collection of highly implausible beliefs. And then he goes on to say, complexity is one thing, incoherence another. Paradox is one thing, nonsense another. So the Christian faith involves itself in nonsense by claiming that God is one and three and three in one. And so that's the basic charge that we hear from the Muslim point of view.