Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God?

DO MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIANS WORSHIP THE SAME GOD?

By Ezekiel Kimosop

This question could be informed by the universalism view that all religions primarily worship the same God. This is best illustrated by the adage that all roads lead to Rome; an attestation of the universalism approach to understanding global religions. 

Universalism proponents argue that since it is logically given that there must be one eternal God, a supreme deity that created all things, religions in their diversities are merely attempts by human societies to relate with this one God in their specific cultural contexts. Each religion, according to universalism adherents, is therefore a culture specific expression and neither is superior nor inferior to the other. 

While this theory has received increasing attention in our postmodernist society, the biblical Scriptures refute its validity. 

Here's how...

The Bible recognizes that there is only one true God who is supreme over all creation and by whom all things in heaven and on earth exist (Genesis 1:1-2; Psalm 24:1-2, 50:10). This, according to Christianity, is the God of Israel whose attributes are described in the Bible. Scripture attests to God's eternity (John 1:1; Rev. 1:8), immutability (Hebrews 13:8; James 1:17), preeminence (Exodus 20:4-6), omniscience (Jeremiah 17:9-10) and omnipotence (Colossians 1:15-18), among other divine attributes. 

According to the Christian faith, the God of Scripture has also revealed Himself in three divine persons that constitute the Holy Trinity. Islam rejects the trinitarian revelation of God. They also reject the divinity of Jesus Christ. 

This implies that a person subscribing to one of the two religions inescapably treats the other as false. This therefore excludes any possibility that another deity or religion can be contemplated outside each faith. 

Timothy Tennent observes the doctrinal distinction between the two major religions as thus:

"It is not as if the texts of the Qur’an and the Bible differ on minor points of eschatology or the precise nature of the soul. They differ on central doctrines of identity such as the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the doctrine of the incarnation, the redemptive power of the cross, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. All of these doctrines are central to what we as Christians mean when we say, “We worship God.” For the Christian, the doctrine of God cannot possibly be separated from Christology." 

Islam is founded on the teaching of the Quran which proclaims that Muhammad is God's only prophet. This religion recognizes sections of the Old Testament Scripture as inspired. Islam however rejects the priesthood and prophetic mandate of Jesus Christ as the mediator between God and men. It also rejects Jesus' incarnation and His redemption work. This is perhaps where the conceptions of God in Christianity and Islam are irreconcilable. 

Islam classifies Christianity as a pagan religion and Christianity on its part does not recognize Islam as a related faith in the same way that Judaism is! My view is that the two religions cannot be considered to worship one and the same God. Each has a distinct doctrine, text and eschatology. 

REFERENCE 

Timothy G Tennent: Theology in the Context of World Christianity: How the Global Church is Influencing the Way We Think about and Discuss Theology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007.

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2022

How Effective is the Marathon Reading of Scripture?

HOW EFFECTIVE IS A "MARATHON" READING OF THE BIBLE? 

By Ezekiel Kimosop 

This question was raised in a certain forum after someone argued that the "marathon" study of Scripture is the most effective method that should be applied by Bible readers. He added that the New Testament Scriptures follow one line of thought, making it easier for straight reading through the passages. 

A marathon approach to the reading of Scripture essentially involves a survey or overview related reading through the 66 Scripture books over a given period of time. The primary intention is to cover the entire text of Scripture within the prescribed period. Little emphasis is given to its topical or thematic divisions or theological coherence. 

In some cases, different passages of different books of Scripture are read together each day so that the reader cascades his focus across a number of Scripture books at any given time. 

While this method provides a bird's eye view of the entire text of Scripture, my view is that it leaves the reader with pieces of Scripture information that are largely unrelated. 

I am persuaded that established hermeneutical principles should guide the reader in the study and interpretation of the passages of the books of Scripture so that the full counsel of God is distilled. Besides, internal evidence refutes the notion that New Testament writers follow one line of thought in their letters. The reality is that most of these writers address a number of independent issues that require to be hermeneutically distilled by the reader within their passage contexts.

We should therefore approach the Scriptures with the relevant interpretative principles. 

One primary principle concerns the recognition of the theological harmony in the body of Scripture. No book of Scripture speaks independently of the rest or on absolute terms. Its authority rests on the theological foundation that God's word is one indivisible cannon that collectively conveys the mind of God (2 Timothy 2:15, 3:16-17). 

Secondly, Scripture interprets Scripture. This principle is affirmed in the cannon itself, especially under the New Testament Scriptures. For instance, some Old Testament truths are amplified or illuminated in the New Testament Scriptures. 

Notice also that New Testament writers intermittently make reference to Old Testament Scripture in their work. A good example can be drawn from the authorship of the four Gospel books where Old Testament prophecies and characters are juxtaposingly mentioned. 

The "marathon" study of the books of Scripture under various captions such as "the Bible in one year" are undoubtedly great knowledge adventures. Unfortunately, such approaches, if exclusively embraced, may present serious hermeneutical limitations for the devotional study of Scripture, which is critical to the spiritual development of the child of God. We should study Scripture passages to discern the mind of God in a given context and harmonize its exhortation with the related themes or topics taught elsewhere in Scripture. 

My view is that a marathon reading through Scripture books can obscure the reader's focus on the consolidation of truths taught in the Bible. 

Here's how... 

First, reading through one Gospel book in a marathon without bearing in mind what other Gospel writers or Scripture authors convey on a related passage or topic can be extremely limiting, in my view. 

Secondly, without the benefit of the knowledge drawn from related passages of New Testament Scripture, a marathon reading of, say, Ezekiel, Daniel and Zechariah may be reduced to a text book adventure. 

Finally, such reading ignores the literary construction of Scripture under different genres or writing styles. For instance, poetic sections of Old Testament Scripture that are commonly identified with the wisdom books such as Psalms and Proverbs cannot be interpreted in the manner that the narratives or prophetic writings are done. The reader needs to be armed with the relevant hermeneutics for the interpretative study of each category. 

CONCLUSION 

My view is that Scripture was not intended to be read on a marathon basis if its devotional benefits are to be derived and assimilated. The Bible should be approached in a methodical manner, giving regard to its topical and thematic organization. I would therefore be hesitant to recommend the marathon approach as an exclusive method of study for a serious devotional reader. If one opts for the marathon study method, they should maintain the contextual/thematic method as their primary focus for effective study of Scripture. 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2022