OTHER QUESTIONABLE RELIGIONS

WHAT IS ISLAM? Part 2

What Do Muslims Believe?

NOTE: You may see some repetition in this post, but to solidify your ability to remember certain facts more completely I felt it necessary.

 

The six key teachings in the doctrine of Islam include:

 

1. Belief in one Allah: Muslims believe Allah is one, eternal, creator, and sovereign.

 

2. Belief in the angels: Both good and bad angels exist.

 

3. Belief in the prophets: The prophets include the biblical prophets but end with Muhammad as Allah's final prophet (Jesus is considered one of many prophets.).

 

4. Belief in the revelations of Allah: Muslims accept certain portions of the Bible, such as the Torah and the Gospels. They believe the Qur'an to be the preexistent, perfect word of Allah. 

 

5. Belief in the last day of judgment and the afterlife: Everyone will be resurrected for judgment into either paradise or hell.

 

6. Belief in predestination: Muslims believe Allah has decreed everything that will happen. Muslims testify to Allah's sovereignty with their frequent phrase, inshallah, meaning "if God wills."

 

In comparison with the Bible's teachings, Islam shares some similarities but also major differences. Among the major differences, four can be easily demonstrated:

 

View of God: Muslims believe in one God named Allah and reject the concept of the Trinity that includes God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God as the Holy Spirit.

 

Holy Books: Muslims accept the Qur'an and the Hadith (commentaries on the Qur'an) as inspired. They teach that the Bible is a good book that has been corrupted. This stands in stark contrast with the Christian belief of the Bible as the inspired Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21).

 

Jesus Christ: Jesus is considered a prophet in the Qur'an, but not God's Son or divine. Many Muslims also believe Jesus did not die on the cross (Some suggest Judas died in His place on the cross.). In Islam Jesus was one of many prophets, but is not considered the way, the truth, and the life (as in John 14:6) and is not considered the Messiah.

 

Salvation and the Afterlife: In Islam, salvation is based on good works, primarily obedience to the five pillars, along with the Qur'an's other teaching. Through obedience, a Muslim can earn eternity in paradise with Allah. This is much different than salvation as presented in the Bible that is based on God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone apart from human works (Ephesians 2:8-9). Further, the Bible teaches the only way to spend eternity with God is through Jesus, not through other gods.

 

Because of these essential differences and contradictions, Islam and Christianity cannot both be true. Each religion holds vast differences on major areas of belief. As a result, Muslims are compelled to evaluate the claims of Jesus as presented in the Bible while Christians are urged and commanded to share Jesus with Muslims whenever possible (Matthew 28:18-20). Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Source: www.compellingtruth.org; The Kingdom of the Cults by Dr. Walter Martin.

 

NOTE: Because “experts” from various theological fields fail to declare Islam a cultic religion, I will not be the first to do so, although I don’t quite understand how they cannot be considered cultic in their beliefs since they obviously contradict what Christians believe. I step away from this topic with questions. I will seek to find answers thru continued research and report my findings at some later date. rlk