A MUST READ FROM A CHRISTIAN!

[gsmoluk2002]

A MUST READ FROM A CHRISTIAN!

* (gsmoluk2002) I am going to bring a few thoughts to mind, so Muslims
can see what a Christian thinks of this comment below, and why we think
that way!

* (A Muslim) writes below!

The Fundamentals of Christianity and Islam

After reading many postings on Christian newsgroups and Muslim
newsgroups I have noticed there are many posts which are aimed at
converting people from one faith to their own faith but very little
effort being made to understand the differences between the
Monotheistic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Above all
there is a mass of postings made by Christians attempting to teach
Muslims the message of Jesus and Christianity. I myself am a Muslim
(Islam) and find it very disturbing that so many Christians seem to
have little to no understanding of just what it is that Muslims
believe.

* (gsmoluk2002) I write Below!

* (gsmoluk2002) I am not willing to make any compromise in my faith, in
Jesus for all of the pity parties in the world! I am offended by this
sorry, sad, pitiful display of what is a big problem with Muslims, and
there ignorance of the lies that are printed in there holy book.

* (gsmoluk2002) I as a Christian must stand boldly in Jesus, and tell
the truth!

* (gsmoluk2002) Just a few scriptures from the Holy Bible, and a bit of
commentary!

Chapter 1:1-5
The Deity of Jesus Christ

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing
came into being that has come into being.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend
it.

Chapter 14:1-6
Jesus Comforts His Disciples

1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also
in Me.
2 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not
so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
3 “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive
you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
4 “And you know the way where I am going.”
5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going,
how do we know the way?”
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life;
no one comes to the Father but through Me.

Chapter 14:7-15
Oneness with the Father

7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now
on you know Him, and have seen Him.”
8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough
for us.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you
have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the
Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
10 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in
Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative,
but the Father abiding in Me does His works.
11 “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me;
otherwise believe because of the works themselves.
12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that
I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because
I go to the Father.
13 “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father
may be glorified in the Son.
14 “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.
15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

A Defense of Salvation by the Cross

Islamic theology is violently opposed to salvation by grace through
faith, based on the crucified and risen Christ. There are many reasons
Muslims reject the orthodox Christian view of salvation, but several
stand out.

First, it implies that humans are inherently sinful and in need of
salvation, but Islam flatly rejects the Christian doctrine of
depravity. Second, it rejects the Christian claim that Jesus is the Son
of God who, by his death as the God-man, brought reconciliation between
humankind and God. Third, the idea of God allowing a prophet of his to
suffer an ignominious death like crucifixion is contrary to the Islamic
concept of God’s providential care for his special servants.

Cragg writes,
The immediate impression on the general reader from what the Qur’an
has to tell him about Jesus is that of its brevity.… It is further
surprising that within the limits of some ninety verses in all no less
than sixty-four belong to the extended, and partly duplicate, nativity
stories.… This leaves a bare twenty-six or so verses to present the
rest and some reiteration here reduces the total still further. It has
often been observed that the New Testament Gospels are really passion
narratives with extended introduction. It could well be said that the
Jesus cycle in the Qur’an is nativity narratives with attenuated
sequel.

Cragg adds that “Jesus had a specific—some would say a
limited—mission to Jewry is stressed in the Qur’an. Only Muhammad
as the ‘seal of the prophets’ belongs to all times and places.”
Thus, “the ‘universality’ which Christianity is alleged to have
‘read into’ Jesus, violating this more explicitly Jewish vocation,
is seen as part of that de-Semiticisation of Jesus’ Gospel, which is
attributed to the early Gentile Church.”
Many Western scholars find Muhammad’s reason for dismissing the
Christian doctrine of salvation through the cross in the fact the major
prophets in history have always been victorious against their enemies.

If the Christ of God were killed on the cross by his adversaries, then
what would have become of the constant Qur’anic theme that those who
did not obey God’s prophet did not triumph? Was not the admission of
the cross an acknowledgment that the unrighteous had ultimately
triumphed over the righteous?

We will discuss the Islamic understanding of salvation by the
sacrificial death and resurrection of Christ. Then we will evaluate
their view, offering criticisms from a Christian perspective.

Muslim Misunderstandings of Christian Salvation

While Muslims believe, as Christians do, in the virgin birth, as well
as the death, resurrection, ascension, and second coming of Christ, it
is easy to overstate these misleading similarities. At the very heart
of Christianity (1 Cor. 15:1–6) is the belief that Jesus died on the
cross for humankind’s sins and rose again three days later. But Islam
categorically rejects this teaching. Most Muslims do not believe Jesus
died on the cross, and none believe he paid the penalty for the sins of
the world there.

Further, while Islam teaches the resurrection of Christ, it is usually
only viewed as part of the general resurrection on the last day. Thus
while they hold that Jesus ascended into heaven after his time on
earth, most do not believe that he was resurrected before his
ascension. And none believe he was resurrected three days after his
crucifixion. In fact, almost no Muslim scholars believe that Christ was
crucified at all and those that do have been condemned as heretical.

Further, for Muslims, Christ’s second coming is not, as Christians
believe, to set up a kingdom on earth but to tell Christians to follow
Muhammad. According to one Muslim tradition, “Jesus, son of Mary,
will descend to the earth, will marry, have children, and live 45
years, after which he will die and be buried along with me [Mohammad]
in my grave. Then Jesus, son of Mary, and I shall arise from the grave
between Abu Bakr and Umar.”

Muslim Scholar Shaikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani declared that “in the great
debate between Christians and Muslims … there are areas of
fundamental principles where no amount of logical discourse can bring
the two sides nearer to each other and where therefore the existence of
an impasse must be recognized.” Thus “issues like the Trinity, the
Divinity of Christ and the Crucifixion, so central to Christian
beliefs, have no place in the Islamic faith, having been categorically
refuted by the Quran.” Muslims are so vehemently opposed to
belief in the crucifixion of Christ that some label it demonic. Ibn
Taymiyya declared that “the first goal of the demon is to lead people
astray by delivering to them false information, as did the one who
informed the apostles that he was Christ who was crucified.”

Muslim Misunderstanding about Christ’s Death

Muslim misunderstanding of the crucifixion is represented in the
statement of Ibn Taymiyya, that “not a single one of the Christians
was a witness with them [the Jews]. Rather the apostles kept a distance
through fear, and not one of them witnessed the crucifixion.”
This, of course, is both false and misleading. It is false because the
Gospel record states that the apostle John was standing right there by
the cross during the crucifixion (John 19:26; cf. 20:20–25). And
Peter may have been there at a distance (see Mark 14:54).

Furthermore, in addition there were other followers of Christ at the
cross, including Mary the mother of Jesus (John 20:25–26) and other
women (Luke 23:27; John 19:25). It is misleading because it implies
that one cannot be sure that Jesus died on the cross unless his
apostles were there. The Roman soldiers charged under the penalty of
death to faithfully execute their duty were sufficient witnesses to the
death of Christ. They were professional executioners and were
accustomed to putting people to death.

Furthermore, there were other people present, including the two thieves
on adjacent crosses (Matt. 27:38), the crowd (Matt. 27:39) called “a
great multitude” (Luke 23:27), and the Jewish leaders (Matt. 27:41),
who because of their hatred of him had every motivation to assure that
Jesus was put to death there. Even if none of Jesus’ followers were
there—and several were—the many other witnesses of the crucifixion
would have been more than enough to establish the fact of his death.

The evidence that Jesus actually died physically on the cross is
overwhelming. For one, the Old Testament predicted it (Isa. 53:5–10;
Ps. 22:16; Dan. 9:26; Zech. 12:10), and Jesus fulfilled the Old
Testament prophecies about the Messiah (Matt. 4:14; 5:17–18; 8:17;
John 4:25–26; 5:39).

Furthermore, Jesus announced it in advance over and over again (Matt.
12:40; 17:22–23; 20:18; Mark 10:45; John 2:19–20; John 10:10–11).
Also, all the predictions of his resurrection (Ps. 16:10; Isa. 26:19;
Dan. 12:2; John 2:19–21; Matt. 12:40; 17:22–23) are based on the
fact that he would die. Only a dead body can be resurrected. What is
more, the nature and extent of Jesus’ injuries indicate that he must
have died, the very process of crucifixion assuring his death.
Likewise, the piercing of Jesus’ side with the spear, from which came
“blood and water” (John 19:34), is medical proof that he had
physically died. Also, Jesus declared his own death at its very moment,
saying, “Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit” (Luke 23:46;
cf. John 19:30). And Jesus’ death cry was heard by those who stood by
(John 19:47–49).

Furthermore, the Roman soldiers, accustomed to crucifixion and death,
pronounced Jesus dead (John 19:33). On top of all this, Pilate
double-checked to make sure Jesus was dead before he gave the corpse to
Joseph to be buried (Mark 15:44–45). In addition, Jesus was wrapped
in about seventy-five pounds of cloth and spices and placed in a sealed
tomb for three days (John 19:39–40; Matt. 27:60). If he was not dead
by then, which he clearly was, he would have died from lack of food,
water, and medical treatment.

Finally, medical authorities who have carefully examined the evidence
have concluded that he actually died on the cross, insisting that
“the weight of historical and medical evidence indicates that Jesus
was dead before the wound to his side was inflicted.… Accordingly,
interpretations based on the assumption that Jesus did not die on the
cross appear to be at odds with modern medical knowledge.”

Muslim ambiguity about the death of Christ has led to a rather
confusing state of affairs that can be clarified as follows:
1. All Muslims agree that Jesus did not die on the cross for our sins.
2. Almost all Muslims believe that Jesus did not die on the cross at
all but that someone else was crucified in his place, such as Judas
(see Appenix 2) or Simon who carried Jesus’ cross.
3. Almost all Muslims hold that Jesus did not die at all before he
ascended into heaven but that he will die after his second coming and
will be raised later with others in the general resurrection of the
last days.

Mufassir summarized the heart of the Islamic view well when he said,
“Muslims believe that Jesus was not crucified. It was the intention
of his enemies to put him to death on the cross, but God saved him from
their plot.” Several passages in the Qur’an are the basis for
Muslim agreement that Jesus was not crucified on the cross for our
sins; 4:157–58 is a key text. At face value it seems to say that
Jesus did not die at all. It certainly denies that he died by
crucifixion. It reads:
That they said (in boast), “We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary,
the Apostle of God”;—But they killed him not, Nor crucified him,
But so it was made to appear to them, And those who differ therein are
full of doubts, With no (certain) knowledge, But only conjecture to
follow, for of a surety they killed him not:—Nay, God raised him up
Unto Himself; and God Is exalted in power, wise.

The reason for Islamic disbelief in the crucifixion of Jesus centers on
two theological concepts: sovereignty and depravity. More precisely, it
is based on the unique Islamic concept of sovereignty of God and their
rejection of the Christian belief in the depravity of man.

The Muslim view of God’s sovereignty as the reason for rejection of
the crucifixion of Christ is reflected in the following text:
Say, Who then can do aught against Allah, if He had willed to destroy
the Messiah son of Mary, and his mother and everyone on earth?
Allah’s is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and all that
is between them. He createth what He will: And Allah is Able to do all
things (5:17).

A sovereign God has control over all things. And he would not allow his
servant to suffer such an ignominious death at the hands of his enemies
as a crucifixion. Rather, a sovereign God, such as Allah, would deliver
his servant from his enemies. Abdalati, in a typical Muslim fashion,
asks, “Is it consistent with God’s Mercy and Wisdom to believe that
Jesus was humiliated and murdered the way he is said to have
been?” As the Qur’an states, “When Allah said: O Jesus! Lo!
I am gathering thee and causing thee to ascend unto Me, and am
cleansing thee of those who disbelieve and am setting those who follow
thee above those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection”
(3:55).

This argument, however, is highly debatable for many reasons. For one
thing, this is a humanly devised idea of what God would or would not
do. But it is utterly presumptuous for mortal man to tell a sovereign
God (as Muslims believe him to be) how he should or should not act. As
the prophet Isaiah informs us, God said, “My thoughts are not your
thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways” (Isa. 55:8). Indeed, even
Muslims believe that God is omnipotent and can do anything he pleases
to do (Sura 30:5).

Further, the very concept of sovereignty held by Muslims is that God
can do anything. Why then could God have not permitted Jesus to be
crucified, if he had wished?
For another thing, the prophet Isaiah instructs us that God did indeed
approve of the ignominious death of his Servant, declaring: “He has
no form of comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we
should desire Him. He is despised, and rejected by men, A Man of
sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid as it were our faces from
Him; … Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and
afflicted.” “But,” he continues, “He was wounded for our
transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of
our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed” (Isa.
53:2–5). So Jesus’ crucifixion was not only approved by God, it was
predicted (cf. Zech. 12:10; Ps. 22:16).

It should be no surprise to a reader of the New Testament that the
message of the crucifixion is offensive to unbelievers. Indeed, Paul
even referred to the “offense of the cross” but added that “it
pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save
those who believe” (1 Cor. 1:21). For “the foolishness of God is
wiser than men” (v. 25).

Indeed, even the Qur’an gives a beautiful example of a
substitutionary atonement in Abraham’s sacrifice of his son on Mount
Moriah:
He said: “O my son! I see in vision that I offer thee in
sacrifice.… “So when they had both Submitted their wills (to God),
And he laid him Prostrate on his forehead (For sacrifice), We [God]
called out to him, “O Abraham! … And We ransomed him With a
momentous sacrifice” (37:102–7, emphasis ours).

The use of the words “sacrifice” and “ransom” are precisely
what Christians mean by Christ’s death on the cross. In fact, Jesus
used such words of his own death (Mark 10:45). So the sacrificial death
of Christ is not un-Qur’anic.
Then, too, the whole idea of God allowing insulting experiences to
happen to his servant is not un-Muslim.

Muhammad’s biographer, Haykal, tells of insulting experiences
suffered by Muhammad. He notes, for example, that “the tribe of
Thaqif, however, not only repudiated Muhammad’s call but sent their
servants to insult him and throw him out of their city. He ran away
from them and took shelter near a wall.… There he sat under a vine
pondering his defeat with the sight of the sons of Rabi’ah.”

What is more, even if Muslims assume that God will deliver his prophets
from their enemies, it is wrong to conclude that he did not deliver
Christ from his enemies. Indeed, this is precisely what the
resurrection is. For “God raised [Christ] up, having loosed the pains
of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it”
(Acts 2:24).

According to the Scriptures, God raised Christ up because, as he said:
“You are My son, Today I have begotten You [from the dead]” (Acts
13:33). Further, the Scriptures declare that God kept his promise to
his people (in Ps. 16:10) and saw to it that “His [Christ’s] soul
was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption” (Acts 2:31).
Thus, “He was exalted to the right hand of God” (v. 33). Indeed, it
was by Christ’s death and resurrection that “death is swallowed up
in victory” (1 Cor. 15:54), and we can say, “O Death, where is your
sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” (1 Cor. 15:55).

Finally, the death and resurrection of Christ did, contrary to Islamic
teaching, manifest God’s mercy. Indeed, without it there would have
been no mercy for a sinful world. Paul wrote: “For when we were still
without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” Thus
“God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:6, 8). He adds elsewhere that it
is “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according
to His [God’s] mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:5). As Jesus himself
said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s
life for his friends” (John 15:13). Yet he died for us when “we
were [His] enemies” (Rom. 5:10).

The other Muslim reason given for rejecting the crucifixion is the
concomitant doctrine of depravity. Islamic scholars are quick to point
out the connection between the Christian claim that Jesus died on the
cross for our sins and the doctrine of depravity. Doi notes that
“connected with the Christian belief in crucifixion of Isa [Jesus] is
the irreconcilable concept of original sin.”
He adds categorically that “Islam does not believe in the doctrine of
the original sin (see Chapter 2). It is not Adam’s sin that a child
inherits and manifests at birth. Every child is born sinless and the
sins of the fathers are not visited upon the children.”

Further, “Islam denies emphatically the concept of original sin and
hereditary depravity. Every child is born pure and true; every
departure in after-life from the path of truth and rectitude is due to
imperfect education.” Citing the prophet Muhammad, Doi affirms that
“Every child is born in a religious mold; it is his parents who make
him afterward a Jew, a Christian, or a Sabaean.… In other words, good
and evil is not created in man at birth. Infants have no positive moral
character.” Rather, “every human being … has two
inclinations—one prompting him to do good and impelling him thereto,
and the other prompting him to do evil and thereto impelling him; but
the assistance of God is nigh.”

But here again the rejection of total depravity is without foundation
for many reasons. Even Muslims have to acknowledge that human beings
are sinful. Otherwise, why do they need God’s mercy? Indeed, why do
they believe that so many (including all Christians) have committed the
greatest of all sins, attributing partners to God (4:116)? Further, why
did God need to send prophets to warn them of their sin, if they are
not constant sinners?

Also, why are the unbelievers sent to hell to suffer? This seems to
imply great sinfulness to deserve such a severe penalty as suffering in
hell. Finally, it is both unrealistic and un-Qur’anic to deny the
inherent sinfulness of humankind. Indeed, “some Muslim theologians
have held to a doctrine of Hereditary Sin.… Also, there is a famous
tradition that the Prophet of Islam said, ‘No child is born but the
devil hath touched it, except Mary and her son Jesus.’”

Further, “Other passages refer to humankind as sinful (or
unjust—zulum—14:34/37; 33:72), foolish (33:72), ungrateful
(14:34/37), weak (4:28/32), despairing or boastful (11:9/12–10/13),
quarrel-some (16:4), and rebellious (96:6).” The Qur’an even
declares that “if God were to punish Men for their wrong-doing, He
would not leave, on the (earth), A single living creature” (16:61).

Ayatollah Khomeini even went so far as to say “that man’s calamity
is his carnal desires, and this exists in everybody, and is rooted in
the nature of man.” In view of these admissions there is no
reason to reject the Christian doctrine of the depravity of humankind.

A Defense of the Christian View of Salvation

We will divide our comments into two broad categories. First, we will
offer a response to the Islamic misunderstanding of salvation by the
crucifixion/death and resurrection of Christ. Then, we will give a
rationale for the Christian position on salvation, in hope of rendering
the credible intelligible to the Muslim mind.

Totally apart from the nature of the Islamic rejection of human
depravity, it is not a sufficient basis for rejecting a historical fact
such as the crucifixion of Christ. The factual evidence for Christ’s
death on the cross “under Pontius Pilate” is more than ample (see
discussion above), and it stands on its own apart from any theological
beliefs.
Inadequate Basis for Rejecting the Death of Christ
Indeed, even granting what Muslims admit about Christ’s crucifixion
and death, there is no reason to reject the biblical account. For
example, Muslims teach that:

1. Jesus would die (3:55; cf. 19:33).
2. Jesus would one day rise from the dead (19:33).
3. Jesus’ disciples who witnessed the event believed that it was
Jesus, not someone else in his place, who was crucified on the cross.
4. The Roman soldiers and the Jews believed that it was Jesus of
Nazareth whom they had crucified.
5. Jesus could and did perform miracles, including raising people from
the dead.
If 1) and 2) are accepted by Muslims, then there is no reason they
should reject the fact that Jesus died on the Cross and raised himself
from the dead.

Implausible Muslim speculation, such as Judas or Simon died in Jesus’
place or that he only swooned on the cross, does not help their already
flimsy hypothesis (see Appendix 2). Al-Tabari, well-known Muslim
historian and commentator on the Qur’an, reports that Wahab B.
Munabih, who lived around a.d. 700 propagated the lore that someone was
substituted for Jesus on the Cross.

His version is reported as follows:
They brought him the gibbet on which they intended to crucify him, but
God raised him up to Himself and a simulacrum was crucified in his
place. He remained there for seven hours, and then his mother and
another woman whom He had cured of madness came to weep for him. But
Jesus came to them and said, “God has raised me up to Himself, and
this is a mere simulacrum.”
Another example of the growth of this legendary tradition of Islam is
found in the view of Thalabi, who lived some three hundred years after
Munabih. “The shape of Jesus was put on Judas who has pointed him
out, and they crucified him instead, supposing that he was Jesus. After
three hours God took Jesus to Himself and raised him up to
heaven.”

More recently, Doi offers the hypothesis that when the Roman soldiers
came with Judas to arrest Jesus “the two Jews got mixed up in the
dark, and the soldiers mistakenly arrested Judas instead of Jesus.
Jesus was thus saved and raised up.” In support of this view
Muslims often cite the spurious Gospel of Barnabas.

Substitution legends are not unique to Islam. Some early opponents of
Christianity offered similar speculations. According to the
second-century church father Frenacus, Basilides the gnostic taught
that “at the Crucifixion He [Jesus] changed form with Simon of Cyrene
who had carried the cross. The Jews mistaking Simon for Jesus nailed
him to the cross.

Jesus stood by deriding their error before ascending to
heaven.” In the third century A.D. Mani of Persia taught that
the son of the widow of Nain whom Jesus raised from the dead was put to
death in his place. According to another Manichaean tradition, the
devil, who was trying to crucify Jesus, himself fell victim to the
crucifixion. In the tenth century A.D. Photius wrote about the
apocryphal book, The Travels of Paul, in which it was said that another
was crucified in Jesus’ place.

Inadequate Basis for Muslim Substitution Legends
There are many reasons why the substitution legends are not
historically credible. First, they are contrary to the extant record of
eyewitness testimony that it was “Jesus of Nazareth” who was
crucified (Matt. 27; Mark 14; Luke 23; John 19).
Second, these substitution legends are contrary to the earliest
extrabiblical Jewish, Roman, and Samaritan testimony about the death of
Christ. Tacitus’s Annals speak of “Christ, who was executed
under Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius.”

In the second century Justin Martyr referred to the “Acts of Pontius
Pilate” under whom “nails were fixed in Jesus’ hands and feet on
the cross; and after he was crucified, his executioners cast lots for
his garments.” Josephus, the first-century Jewish historian,
wrote that “there was a wise man who was called Jesus.… Pilate
condemned him to be crucified and to die.” The Jewish Talmud,
speaking of Jesus’ “execution,” declares that “on the eve of
Passover Yeshua [Jesus] was hanged.” The earliest reference to
Christ outside the New Testament is in Thallus, a Palestinian historian
writing about A.D. 52, who spoke of the “darkness which accompanied
the crucifixion of Christ.”

There is also a Syriac manuscript in the British Museum (from some time
after A.D. 73) by Mara bar Serapion that asks: “What advantage did
the Jews gain from executing their king? It was just after that their
kingdom was abolished.” In spite of the fact that all of these
writers were opponents of Christianity, they are in agreement that
Jesus of Nazareth was crucified under Pontius Pilate.

Third, there is not a shred of first-century testimony to the contrary
by friend or foe of Christianity. The earliest substitution legends are
not from the first century, and were heavily influenced by Gnosticism
(a.d. 150f.). And none of them is based on any documented evidence of
eyewitnesses or contemporaries of the events.

Fourth, these legends are implausible, since they demand total
ignorance on the part of those closest to Jesus, his disciples, his own
mother who was present, and on the part of the Romans who crucified
him. They suppose that Jesus told his mother and another woman that
someone who looked like him was crucified and that they never informed
the disciples nor corrected them as they promptly went out to preach
under the threat of death that Jesus had died and risen from the dead!

Finally, the Muslim denial of Christ’s death by crucifixion is based
on a theological misunderstanding. Abdalati, for example, lists the
following among his reasons for rejecting the crucifixion of Christ:
“Is it just on God’s part, or anybody’s part for that matter, to
make someone repent for the sins or wrongs of others, the sins to which
the repenter is no party?”

This, of course, is based on a complete misunderstanding of what
Christians believe about the atonement of Christ. Nowhere in the Bible
does it say that Christ repented for our sins. It simply says that he
“died for our sins” (1 Cor. 15:3). Judicially, he was “made to be
sin for us” (2 Cor. 5:21). But at no time did he confess anyone’s
sins. He taught his disciples to pray, “Our Father … forgive us our
sins” (Matt. 6:12). However, Jesus never confessed any sin for
himself or anyone else. This is a total misunderstanding of the concept
of substitutionary atonement.

What the Bible teaches is that Jesus took our place. He paid the
penalty of death for us. He took our sentence so that we could go free
(Mark 10:45; Rom. 4:25; 1 Pet. 2:22; 3:18). This concept of life for
life is not foreign to Islam. It is the same principle behind their
belief in capital punishment; when a murderer takes another’s life,
he must forfeit his own as a penalty.

Furthermore, Islam teaches that God is just (see Chapter 1). But
absolute justice must be satisfied. God cannot simply overlook sin. A
penalty must be paid for it, either by the persons themselves or by
someone else for them, which enables them to go to heaven. In a letter
to a friend explaining why he became a Christian, Daud Rahbar “argues
that the Qur’anic doctrine of God’s justice demands that such a God
be himself involved in suffering and be seen as involved in suffering.
Only then can he be a just judge of suffering humanity.” For “a God
that is preserved from suffering will be an arbitrary and capricious
judge.” In brief, Islam has several doctrines, God’s justice
and God’s forgiveness, heaven and hell, which make no real sense
apart from subtitutionary atonement.

Another misconception behind the Islamic rejection of the crucifixion
is that a merciful God can forgive sin without justly condemning it.
This is reflected in Abdalati’s question, “Was God the Most
Merciful, the Most Forgiving and the Most High unable to forgive
men’s sins except by inflicting this cruel and most humiliating
alleged crucifixion on one who was not only innocent but also dedicated
to His service and cause in a most remarkable way?”

Actually there are two basic mistakes here. It is implied that what
Jesus did was not voluntary but inflicted. In actual fact the Gospels
declare that Jesus gave his life voluntarily and freely. Jesus said,
“I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from
Me, but I lay it down Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have
power to take it again” (John 10:17–18). Indeed, when Jesus died
the Bible says “He [freely] gave up His spirit” (John 19:30).

Further, Muslims seem not to appreciate the basis on which the just and
holy God they confess can forgive sins. While God is sovereign, he is
not arbitrary about right and wrong. Indeed, Muslims, like
Christians, believe that God will punish forever those who do not
repent of their sins (14:17; 25:11–14). But if God’s holy justice
demands that those who do not accept him be eternally punished for
their sins, then it would seem to follow that God cannot just
arbitrarily forgive anyone for anything without there being a just
basis for this forgiveness.

However, in Muslim theology—with its rejection of the cross—there
is forgiveness but no real basis for this forgiveness. For Muslims
reject Christ’s sacrificial payment for sin to a just God by which he
can then justly justify the unjust who accept Christ’s payment on
their behalf (cf. Rom. 3:21–26).

After all, a truly just God cannot simply close his eyes to sin; he
cannot overlook evil. So unless someone capable of paying the debt of
sin owed to God does so, God is obligated to express his wrath, not his
mercy, upon them. Lacking the crucifixion, the Muslim system has no way
to explain how Allah can be merciful when he is also just.

The theological blindspot in the Muslim system created by a rejection
of Christ’s atoning sacrifice leads to other unfounded statements,
such as Abdalati’s rhetorical question: “Does the [Christian]
belief of crucifixion and blood sacrifice appear in any religion apart
from pagan creeds or the early Greeks, Romans, Indians, Persians, and
the like?” The answer is a clear “Yes.”

It is the very heart of historic Judaism, as even a casual acquaintance
with the Old Testament reveals. Moses told Israel: “The life of the
flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to
make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement
for the soul” (Lev. 17:11). This is why the children of Israel had to
sacrifice the Passover lamb, commemorating their deliverance from
bondage (Exod. 12:1f.). This is why the New Testament speaks of Christ
as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John
1:29). And the apostle Paul called “Christ, our passover, [who] was
sacrificed for us” (1 Cor. 5:7). The writer of Hebrews adds, “and
without the shedding of blood there is no remission” (Heb. 9:22).

Of course, Muslim scholars argue that the original Old Testament was
distorted too. However, like the New Testament, the ancient Dead Sea
manuscripts of the Old Testament reveal that the Old Testament today is
substantially the same as the one in the time of Christ, over six
hundred years before Muhammad. Therefore, since the Qur’an
urges the Jews in Muhammad’s day to accept God’s revelation in the
Law (10:94), and since the Jewish Old Testament is substantially the
same today as it was in Muhammad’s day, then Muslims should accept
that blood sacrifices for sins were commanded by God.

Since most Muslims reject the fact of Christ’s crucifixion and death
on the cross they understandably have great difficulty explaining the
resurrection, appearances, and ascension of Christ. Since they believe
Christ was merely a human being, they accept the fact of Christ’s
mortality. Believing in Jesus’ eventual resurrection with all other
humans in the general resurrection but rejecting his death on the
cross, they are forced to find some other place for Christ’s death.
This dilemma has given rise to ingenious speculation.

Many Muslim scholars believe that Jesus Christ was taken up to heaven
alive without experiencing death. They suppose that his death will
happen sometime when he returns to the earth before the last day. This
they take from a literal understanding of 4:157–58 that says, “They
killed him not, Nor crucified him, But so it was made to appear to
them.… Nay, God raised him up to Himself.”

Others hypothesize that Jesus died a natural death at some unknown time
after the crucifixion and remained dead for three hours, or according
to another tradition, seven hours—after which he was resurrected and
taken to heaven. But, as we have seen, there is absolutely no
historical testimony to support such speculation. Further, why an
ascension without a resurrection? An ascension is a miraculous
acceptance of Christ by God which implies a resurrection first.

A few Islamic writers, like Ahmad Khan of India, believe that Jesus was
crucified, but did not die on the cross. Rather, he merely swooned and
was taken down after three hours. Other Muslims in north India
added the legend that Jesus visited Tibet. Abdul-Haqq notes that Ghulam
Ahmad “home brew[ed] a theory that Jesus Christ took His journey to
Kasmir … after His crucifixion. To further support his theory he
conveniently found a grave in Sirinagar, Kashmir, which he declared to
be the grave of Jesus.” However, the Ahmadiyyas sect’s
“speculations have been condemned as heretical by the Muslim
orthodoxy.”

Abdalati notes that “whether he [Jesus] was raised alive in soul and
body or in soul only after he died a natural death had not much bearing
on the Islamic belief.” Why? Because “it is no Article of Faith,
because what is important and binding to a Muslim is what God reveals;
and God revealed that Jesus was not crucified but was raised to
Him.” He cites in support 4:157, which says, “and those who
differ Therein are full of doubts, With no (certain) knowledge, But
only conjecture to follow, For of a surety They killed him not:—Nay,
God raised him up unto Himself; and God Is Exalted in Power, Wise.”

Most Muslims, however, believe that Jesus will be physically
resurrected from the dead in the general resurrection of the last day.
Anything else appears to be intramural speculation not essential to the
Muslim faith. Therefore, rejecting Jesus’ death by crucifixion leads
to a rejection of his resurrection three days later and leaves the
enigma of the ascension before any death or resurrection.

In place of the historic resurrection three days after Jesus’ death
by crucifixion, most Muslims feel obliged to place the resurrection of
Jesus in the general resurrection of all humans in the last days. In
support they appeal to 19:33, in which Jesus is alleged to say,
“Peace is on me The day I was born, and The day that I die, And the
day that I Shall be raised up to life (again)!” This they note is the
same phrase used of John the Baptist in 19:15. In another passage God
is presented as saying, “O Jesus! Lo! I am gathering thee and causing
thee to ascend unto Me” (3:55).

On the surface it would seem that salvation by grace through faith in
the death and resurrection of Christ is totally incomprehensible to the
Muslim mind. This, we believe, is not the case. While the unbeliever
does not receive (Greek dekomai) God’s truth (1 Cor. 2:14),
nevertheless, he can perceive it. Indeed, according to Romans
1:18–20, unbelievers are “without excuse” for not perceiving
God’s revelation in nature. And the very fact that unbelievers are
called upon to believe the gospel implies that they can understand it
(cf. Acts 16:31; 17:30–31). Jesus rebuked unbelievers for not
understanding what he was talking about, declaring, “If you were
blind, you would have no sin: but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore
your sin remains” (John 9:41).

There is nothing contradictory or incredible about salvation by
substitution. The Muslim mind should not have any more difficulty with
this concept than any other mind. This concept is in accord with a
virtually universal human practice. It is considered commendable for
people to die in defense of the innocent. Warriors are hailed for dying
for their tribe. Soliders are honored for dying for their country.
Parents are called compassionate when they die for their children. This
is precisely what Jesus did. As the apostle Paul put it, “scarcely
for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone
would even dare to die. But … while we were still sinners, Christ
died for us” (Rom. 5:7–8).

Further, even in the Islamic understanding sacrificial death occurred.
The Muslim practice of id ghorban (feat of sacrifice) features the
sacrifice of a sheep in memory of Abraham’s sacrifice of his son. For
some this is associated with the forgiveness of sins. Furthermore,
Muslim soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the cause of Islam were
awarded Paradise (3:157–58; 22:58–59). If Allah could call upon his
servants to die for Islam, why think it so strange that God could call
upon his Son to die for salvation of Muslims, indeed of the world?

Conclusion

Muslim confusion about the resurrection of Christ stems from their
rejection of his death by crucifixion, which we have already discussed.
Much of the Islamic rejection of Christ is based on a misunderstanding
of the facts about him.

Since they believe in the divine inspiration of the original Old and
New Testaments, Jesus’ virgin birth, sinless life, divinely
authoritative teaching, death, eventual resurrection, ascension, and
second coming, it is a tragedy that the rejection of his claims to be
the Son of God and Savior of the world are lost in the midst of all
they do accept.

All of this, of course, is based on their unfortunate rejection of the
authenticity of the Bible. Perhaps a better understanding of the
factual basis for the authenticity of the Bible (see Chapter 10) could
pave the way for their taking more seriously the Qur’an when it urges
doubters to go to the Scriptures:
If thou wert in doubt As to what We have revealed Unto thee, then ask
those Who have been reading The Book [the Bible] from before thee: The
Truth hath indeed come To thee from thy Lord: So be in no wise Of those
in doubt.

Geisler, N. L., & Saleeb, A. (2002). Answering Islam : The crescent in
light of the cross (2nd ed.) (Page 278). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker
Books.