Just as the Minaret calls the Muslim to prayer, so too Allah is calling Muslims to consider the truth of His revelation found in the Injeel.
Do you sometimes wonder if you will really enjoy eternal paradise? Do you know without a doubt that you will be in paradise? You can know without a doubt!
What became of the Injeel? What relationship do other early writings about Isa have with the Quran?
Where is the real Injeel?
The path of Islam is revealed in the Quran as being the final revelation of Allah and the only means by which we can attain eternal life. When we read the Quran, we read strong claims of its own authority and our commanded obedience. Though the Quran contains strong claims, the Injeel makes even stronger claims, and neither seems to agree on the most important issues affecting us:
- What does Allah think of me?
- What is my destiny?
- How can I have eternal life?
- How can I be sure I am on the right path?
Are you on the right path? Look at what the Quran says about these issues, then look at what the Bible says.
Allah Loves Those Who Obey Him
You are designed to obey Allah. Even if you try to obey Islam, there is no guarantee that you will achieve eternal life. You must be ever diligent to enter in. First, let’s look at the reliability of Allah’s revelation in the Injeel.
Allah’s Revelation
Obeying the path Allah has commanded is of primary importance for anyone who wants to attain eternal life. If there is even the smallest doubt, if you’ve ever wondered, “Am I on the right path?” then you can begin your journey here.
Let’s begin with the assumption that Allah is perfect. Because Allah is perfect, what He chooses to reveal to us cannot be less than perfect. Can Allah make a mistake? Can Allah tell a lie? Will Allah be untruthful with us? Never. Therefore, everything that Allah says to us is perfect. What has Allah said to us in the Torah and the Injeel? Among the many principles and stories contained in the Injeel, there are four very important things Allah has told us:
- He does not change
- He will not change His mind
- He will not change His word
- He will not change His plan
These are very important because by these unbreakable promises, Allah demonstrates that we can always depend upon His character. He is not going to suddenly change His mind about us and what He intends to do for us. According to His own revelation, we can have absolute certainty about His intentions and His love:
He Does Not Change. “I am the Lord. I do not change” (Malachi 3:6). “Isa the Messiah is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
He Will Not Change His Mind. “Allah is not a man that He should lie, or a son of man that His purpose may be changed” (Numbers 23:19). “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4).
He Will Not Change His Word. “I tell you the truth, till Heaven and Earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle from the law shall pass away until all is fulfilled” (Matthew 5:18). “I the Lord have said the word and I will do it. I will not go back…my purpose will not be changed” (Ezekiel 24:14).
He Will Not Change His Plan. “Allah, by whom you have been marked out in His purpose, is unchanging, and He will make it complete” (I Thessalonians 5:24).
Allah is great and strong enough to accomplish His purposes regardless of man’s efforts to circumvent them. Can a man thwart Allah? Certainly not. Therefore, we can completely depend upon His intentions and character. This is one reason why Christians believe certain things about Allah and His plan for us: Allah has made unbreakable promises to us, about us, and Himself.
Why Do Christians Believe What They Believe?
“Let the people of the Injeel judge by that which Allah has revealed therein. Whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed; such are evil livers” (Quran, 5:47).
“After them, we sent forth Isa, the Son of Mary, confirming the Torah already revealed, and gave Him the Injeel in which there is guidance and light. Therefore, let those who follow the Injeel judge according to what Allah has revealed therein” (Quran, 5:44-46).
Based upon Allah’s revelation in the Injeel, Christians believe that Isa the Messiah is Allah’s Son for seven important reasons. By themselves, these reasons might be questioned. But taken cumulatively, they provide a strong case for His identity.
- Prophecy claimed He would be the Son of Allah
- Angels said He was the Son of Allah
- Isa claimed He was the Son of Allah
- Allah said Isa was His Son
- Isa’s followers said He was the Son of Allah
- Isa’s enemies understood His claim to be the Son of Allah
- Isa’s miracles, death, and resurrection provide evidence that He is the Son of Allah
Several passages in the Bible can be used to show the validity of each position. Because of space, however, only one will be chosen for each.
Prophecy claimed He would be the Son of Allah. Psalm 2:7 says, “I will proclaim the decree of the Lord. He said to me, ‘You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.’”
Angels said He was the Son of Allah. Luke 1:35, The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of Allah.”
Isa claimed He was the Son of Allah. Matthew 26:63, 64, “The high priest said to him, ‘I charge you under oath by the living Allah: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of Allah.’ ‘Yes, it is as you say.’”
Allah said Isa was His Son. Matthew 17:5, “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’”
Isa’s followers said He was Allah’s Son. John 11:27, “Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of Allah, who was to come into the world.”
Isa’s enemies understood that He claimed to be the Son of Allah. At his trial, there was this exchange: “They all asked, ‘Are you then the Son of Allah?’ He replied, ‘You are right in saying I am.” (Luke 22:70).
Isa’s miracles, death, and resurrection provide evidence that He is the Son of Allah. John 10:37,38, “Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, `I am Allah’s Son? Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”
So far, we’ve seen direct claims from each of these sources about Isa being Allah’s Son. Yet we have not examined why Isa’s death and resurrection provide more evidence that He is Allah’s Son. If you are a Muslim, then you know what the Quran claims about Isa’s death. “They said, ‘We killed the Messiah Isa the Son of Mary, the Apostle of Allah,’ but they did not kill him, nor crucify him, but so it was made to appear to them” (Quran 4:157). Did Isa really die on the cross as Allah revealed in the Injeel? Or did Allah “make it appear to them” that He was crucified? This is an important issue that must be addressed if we are to know with full assurance if we are on the right path.
Did Isa Really Die on the Cross?
The death and resurrection of Isa the Messiah is one of several important points upon which the Injeel and the Quran differ. Which account about the end of Isa’s ministry is trustworthy?
The whole trustworthiness of the Quran stands or falls upon the claim that Isa, the Messiah, did not die on the cross. Why? Because if Isa did die on the cross and rise from the dead, then there would be no need for a further revelation like the one Mohammad gave. First, it’s important to review the principles we have already discovered:
- Allah’s revelation is perfect and does not change
- Allah’s promises cannot be broken
- Man cannot thwart anything Allah does
These are important principles because Allah tells us in the Injeel that He loves us with an unchanging love. He tells us that He planned for Isa to die and rise from the dead before He was ever born. And He makes certain promises based upon Isa’s death and resurrection. So, did Isa die on the cross? The Quran says in 4:157, “They said, ‘We killed the Messiah Isa the Son of Mary, the Apostle of Allah,’ but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them.”
This is an important claim because in the Quran, only the enemies of Isa are said to have been fooled into thinking they crucified Him. Naturally, if Allah wanted to thwart Isa’s enemies into thinking this, and Isa’s disciples professed Islam, then His disciples would not have been led astray. Why, after all, would Allah want to deceive those who have professed to believe the truth and follow His Apostle?
The Injeel, however, tells a different story. The Injeel states that Isa’s disciples saw Him die on the cross. John 19:26, 27 says, “When Isa saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved (John) standing nearby…” Women were among Isa’s followers, and they saw Him die on the cross. John 19:25 reveals, “Near the cross of Isa stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.”
These were people who all loved and followed Isa. Those who followed Isa were His disciples. It is hard to conceive that Allah, being a God of truth, would want to deceive those who believe the truth into thinking that Isa died when He did not. In fact, the Quran states plainly in 50:29: “I am not unjust to my servants.”
Finally, remember the principles we have learned about Allah’s character.
- Allah does not change
- Allah’s plans do not change
- Allah’s word does not change
This is important because 600 years before Isa died, Allah announced His plans for Isa to die for the sins of others. Notice what the Prophet Isaiah says about Isa:
“He was pierced through for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the chastising for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed…the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment, He was taken away…he was cut off from the land of the living…His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death. Because He has done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth” (Isaiah 53:5-9).
How do we know this prophecy refers to Isa? Was there anyone in all of history to whom these words applied at one time? There is, in fact, only one person, Isa the Messiah.
- His body was pierced by a soldier
- He was scourged by the Romans before being crucified
- He was oppressed (during His trial, the only testimony from Him was that which would condemn Him)
- He never once protested His crucifixion
- His grave was assigned with the other men who were crucified with Him (two thieves)
- A rich man, Nicodemus (a secret follower of Isa), asked for Isa’s body and buried Him in a grave he had made for Himself
The weight of evidence, from Isa’s followers and from His enemies, is that He did indeed die on the cross, to be followed by His resurrection from the dead three days later. Since Isa did in fact die on the cross. And since we have learned about Isa’s claim to deity, does this mean that God died on the cross? Certainly, serving a God who does not have the power to keep from dying does not sound like the right path, does it? But as you will see on this journey, Allah’s nature is not like ours. This is best demonstrated in His divine existence as a Triune God.
Are there 3 Gods, or 1?
First, it is important to establish what is common about what you believe as a Muslim and what Christians believe. Muslims believe that there is one God. Christians also believe that there is one God. What is not common between the two is the form in which Allah exists. Make no mistake, Allah is only One (that is what is common). The Quran says He is only one person, whereas the Injeel portrays Him as being One, but being three persons. The Quran teaches that Allah is “All-Powerful,” therefore, if He wanted, Allah could choose to exist as multiple people at the same time. If “nothing is too hard for Allah,” then this would not be a problem.
The Injeel teaches us that Allah exists as multiple persons yet remains One because that is His nature. This is why Allah can become a man and die on a cross for our sins, and why we can say that when Isa died, God did not die in the sense of how we often think of death in human terms.
Isa the Messiah became a man and died on the cross. His Father observed from Heaven. In the midst of this, Isa says of Himself and the Father in John 17 that they are “One.”
Putting it all Together
Let’s wrap all of the truths into a summation:
- Allah does not change
- Allah will not change His word
- Allah will not change His mind, or plan
With this in view, we see that Allah intended, declared, and performed His desire to reveal His Son Isa the Messiah:
- Prophecy said He is Allah’s Son
- Angels announced that He was Allah’s Son
- Allah declared His own Son
- Isa declared His Sonship and revealed that He would die on the cross
“We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death; and will deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day, He will be raised up” (Matthew 20:18-19).
- Isa’s disciples saw Him die
- Isa’s mother saw Him die
- Isa’s friends saw Him die
Not only did His disciples see Him die, but they also saw Him raised from the dead three days later. Isa even declared His resurrection in advance. What should we do with these truths?
Should I Change my Religion?
Did Isa ever refer to Himself as the Son of God? Did He ever make Himself equal with God? Look at Isa’s own words in the Injeel:
In John 10:36, Isa speaking to the Pharisees: “Do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God?’”
Matthew 26:63 “Tell us whether you are the Messiah, the Son of God. Isa said to Him, ‘You have said it yourself.’”
John 11:4, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it.”
John 17:1, 4,5, “Father, the hour has come, glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you…I glorified you on the earth…now, glorify me together with you, Father, with the glory which I had before the world was.”
In the Quran we are told:
- Allah is merciful toward those who obey him,
- You are designed to obey Allah,
- By obeying Islam, you may enter eternal life, and
- Even if you try to obey Islam, there is no guarantee that you will achieve eternal life
Now, take careful notice of one example of a difference between Allah in the Quran and Allah in the Bible.
“Allah does not love the treacherous or the sinful.” (Quran 4:107, there are dozens of similar passages.)
Now, notice the difference in Allah’s feelings toward you in this passage from the Bible:
“Allah demonstrates His own love toward us in this, while we were still sinners, the Messiah died for us” (Romans 5:8).
What a remarkable difference!
Allah loves Everyone
“For Allah so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son that whoever believes in Him would not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).
Though Allah loves everyone, not everyone gets to experience that love. This is a great tragedy, because Allah’s chief desire is to love you, and for you to know and love Him.
You are designed to know Allah and be loved by Him
“The man who loves Allah is known by Allah” (I Corinthians 8:3). Yet, our sin keeps us from Allah. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of Allah” (Romans 3:23). Though all have sinned, Allah still loves all and calls all to know Him and leave behind their sin. He did that by providing Isa the Messiah as the punishment for our sin.
By believing in Isa the Messiah, your sin is forgiven, and you can know Allah personally and have eternal life. “For the Messiah died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to Allah” (I Peter 3:18). “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of Allah, in order that you may know that you have eternal life” (I John 5:13).
Allah made an unbreakable promise that you will have eternal life if you believe in Isa. Because Allah will not change, or change His word, or plan, you can completely depend upon His promise to you, that if you receive Isa the Messiah, you too will have eternal life. “As many as received Him, he gave them the right to become children of Allah, even to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). “Allah did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for Allah to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:18-19).
Would you like to know you are on the right path and gain full and complete assurance of Allah’s love for you? You can if you receive Isa the Messiah. In prayer, right now, you can ask Him to take control of your life. Use the prayer to the right to guide you.
“Lord Isa, I believe that you are the Son of Allah revealed in the Injeel. I agree with you that I am a sinner and that my sin has kept me from knowing you. I know that you died on the cross to pay the price for my sin. I believe that you rose from the dead, never to die again. You live right now and can help me and forgive me. Lord Isa, please forgive me of my sin. I ask you to take control of my life. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me the power to live for you. Lord Isa, because I believe you are the true Son of Allah who never changes or breaks His word, I trust and thank you that you have forgiven me. Thank you that you have given me eternal life and that I have that eternal life right now. And thank you, thank you that you love me.”
Do you agree with these things you prayed in your heart of hearts? If so, then you now have eternal life. No one can take it away from you. Allah promises this in His word: “Nothing can separate us from the love of Allah, which is in the Messiah Isa, our Lord” (Romans 8:39).
You are beginning a new journey with Allah. There are certain things you must do to grow spiritually.
- Read Allah’s word, the Bible, every day
- Pray every day to express your thankfulness and love to Allah
- Attend a church or group with others who believe in Isa
But what about my Quran, my Mosque, and my former faith?
How did you receive eternal life? Was it through Mohammad, or through Isa’s death and resurrection for you? Which book told you the truth about Allah and how to have eternal life? The Quran or the Bible? Where will you learn more about the truth of Isa, at the Mosque, in a church, or in a group of Christians that also know Isa as you do? How you answer is very important. Don’t let anything stand in the way of getting to know Isa better. He gave up His own place in Heaven to know you, love you, and give you eternal life. He now waits for you there. Until then, He has placed His Holy Spirit inside of you to help you live for Him.
May Allah bless you and fill you with the awesome wonder of His great love for you. Be sure to share your faith with others.
www.guywithabible.com.
