Recently I have had many witnessing encounters with Muslims. I thought I’d share my general experiences and observations in hopes that it may help others while talking with Muslims. I’d first like to refer you to the article in the Evidence Bible that speaks to witnessing to Muslims. The author suggests starting with points of commonality which includes:
- There is one God
- Jesus is a prophet
- Moses is a prophet
We can then leverage the common belief that Moses is a prophet to speak to the Muslims conscience using the Ten Commandments.
As I have spoken with a number of Muslims, I have found that there are a number of common objections that come up. I will expand upon them here.
Jesus is not God
Muslims claim that Jesus is not God. They claim instead that he is just a prophet. You can point them to Old and New Testament claims about Christ. Ultimately, Jesus can not be just a prophet. If he were, then he was lying when he claimed to be God. Please see out page on Jesus is God on the AfterLifeCatalog web site for verses that back up Jesus’ deity. In addition, on that page, you will find a 45 minute audio sermon by Timothy Keller called Who is this Jesus. I encourage you to listen to the sermon and leverage the points that Keller makes about Christ’s deity. Finally, if the person is open to reading, then the book The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel is an excellent resource.
Muslims also deny the crucifixion and ressurection of Jesus. They claim that he was somehow taken up to heaven, and replaced with a look a like who was crucified in His place. However, they claim that Jesus will come back again and reveal himself to everyone to tell them that Islam is the way giving Christians one last chance to submit. The peculiar thing about this argument is that in order for Jesus to come back as they describe he would need to be God to pull it off, which is the very thing they deny about Him in the first place.
The Trinity
Muslims claim that the concept of trinity means that Christians worship three gods instead of one God. Recently, some Muslims even asked me to prove that the trinity was substantiated by the Old Testament. I pointed them to Genesis 1:1-3:
1In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
In this text, we see God (the Father), the Spirit of God (God the Holy Spirit) and the word (God the Son) when God speaks. John 1:1 tells us that the Word is the Son, “In the
Trinity
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” It is interesting to note that there are a number of other places in the Old Testament that refer to the concept of the trinity. This article at CARM provides some good information on the Trinity. So sure, the word trinity is not used in the Bible. But the concept is clearly taught even from the Old Testament. I also find that a diagram to explain the trinity can be very useful when speaking to people about it.
The Bible has been corrupted
This is a common claim of Muslims. Although they claim to believe in the Bible, they actually only claim to believe in the books of Moses, the Psalms and the Gospels, However, they believe that the scriptures that we have today have been corrupted and changed. They will say things like, “if Moses was here today, then I’d agree with what he says, but what is written here has been changed.” These claims are not substantiated with facts. Instead, in my research, which includes speaking with Bible translators, it seems that the Bible manuscripts that we have are the most reliable ancient texts. In fact, differences in the original manuscripts are mainly adjectives and adverbs and such that do not significantly alter any theology. Additionally, since the message of the Bible is repeated from beginning to end, there is no doubt that it is accurate and true.
Man is by nature good
Muslims do not believe in original sin. They believe instead that Adam and Eve repented of their sins and Allah forgave them. Therefore, as you speak with a Muslim and lead them through the Ten Commandments expect to hear them say that they are “good people” and will claim to have not broken most or any of the commandments. Where most of us when we are honest will say, “I have no idea how many lies I’ve told in my life”, a Muslim will often say they have not lied or only a few times. When they do admit to it, they will say it was a white lie, or a mistake. So instead of seeing man as totally depraved (Genesis 6:5) and an enemy (Romans 5:10) to God as the Bible describes, they see man as good. This is critical to a Muslims view of salvation where if his good outweighs his bad, then when he dies, Allah might have favor on him and give him eternal life.
This bring me to an observation
We know from the Bible that God is Holy. It is because of His Holiness, that a sinful man can not be in His presence. God is also just because he must punish sin. In Islam, there is no payment for sin. There is only the hope of forgiveness. This means that Allah and God are clearly not the same being because Allah can not be Holy and Just. If he is holy, then no sinful being could enter his presence. If he is just, then all sinful beings must be sent to hell. Thus, Allah is not God.
Ultimately, we must remember that only the Gospel can save someone. However, even Paul would reason with people (Acts 17). I pray that those that I have shared these things with in person and online will hear the truth of the Gospel in them and come to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. I also pray that by sharing these observations, that other Christians may be better prepared for talking to the next Muslim that they speak too.
