To my dear Muslim friends: The Quran and the Injeel (the Gospels) in the Bible reflect very different views of God. God’s love is the basis for all relationships and behaviors. To imagine that God could love someone unconditionally is a concept unique to Christianity. Many of the concepts taught within the Quran appear at their surface to be quite similar, if not the same, to concepts in the Injeel (Gospels). This is certainly true regarding teachings about many moral standards and codes of personal behavior. However, the basic fundamentals of each faith differ sharply. Probably the most important difference is the teaching about God’s love.
In the Torah, the Love of God is given as the very reason that God selected a people for Himself to save.
“Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendents after them…” (Deut. 4:37).
The Torah also notes that God loved His people though there was nothing special about them.
“The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people; for you [were] the fewest of all people….” (Deut. 7:7)
Even in the Injeel we see that Godi´s love for man is given as the primary reason He sent Isa as the Messiah.
“For God so loved the world He gave His One and Only Son….” (John 3:16). Also, “This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (I John 4:10)
These, and many other passages in the Bible portray God as loving those who don’t love Him, and working to redeem those very same people. Some apologists call this, unconditional love. We might also call it, unequalled love.
As a Muslim, you know that God is merciful, and compassionate, along with many other of descriptions of His character. It is comforting to know that God has such qualities. That God is compassionate and merciful is not in question, rather, to whom is He compassionate and merciful, and why? This is the key difference between the Quran and the Injeel; especially if these characteristics are qualities of God’s love.
The picture painted of God’s love by the Quran is very different from the Injeel. Each section below outlines the main points the Quran gives regarding God’s Love:
The Quran: God does not love the sinner. God’s love is reserved for those who do good. God’s love is conditional, based upon our deeds. God’s people love him, but obedience is the requirement. Consequently, God’s people imitate God’s love.
The Injeel: God loves everyone, regardless of sin. God’s love is for everyone. God’s love is unconditional, being based upon His character, proven by His deeds. God seeks a personal relationship with us. Consequently, God’s people imitate God’s love.