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    • Soul Harvest : Other religions : Islam

    Islam in the Light of Scripture

    Simply defined, "religion" is a specific system of belief and worship that involves a code of ethics and philosophy. One of the fastest growing religions today is the oppressive belief of Islam, or Mohammedanism. The first prophet of Islam was the charismatic leader Mohammed, who founded the religion around A.D. 622. Although it had a somewhat unstable beginning, Islam has grown dramatically through the years. There are over 1 billion Muslims worldwide today, and this number is increasing, with mosques (temples or churches) going up virtually daily in the Western world. According to a July 20, 1998, U.S. News & World Report article, the number of Muslims in the United States is now greater than that of Christian Scientists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mennonites, Quakers, Seventh-day Adventists and Unitarians combined.

    The purpose of this study on Islam is not to disparage those who participate in this religion but to show from Scripture the true nature and dangers of Mohammedanism, both to its followers and to its dissenters. Christians must be aware that while some of the teachings of Islam come from the Bible, the Muslim religion actually combines portions of the Word of God with the man-made doctrines found in the Koran, the holy book of Islam. Furthermore, one must realize that leaving this religion can potentially cost a Muslim his life, for Islam is an unforgiving and uncompromising system, even though it may outwardly appear to be quite accommodating.

    Islam’s intolerance of other religions demonstrates itself in a disturbingly violent manner. The Chicago Tribune carried this report on July 24, 1998: "The [United States] State Department condemned the hanging of an Iranian man who, it said, had been charged with converting to the Baha’i faith from Islam. Spokesman James Rubin said Thursday there was no evidence Ruhollah Rowhani was accorded due process of law before being executed Tuesday." Furthermore, a July 15, 1998, news summary article from ReligionToday.com, an online religious news service, reported: "‘A Muslim leader had his 15-year-old son killed for converting to Christ. The emir in a North Africa nation had his son publicly beheaded before the boy’s mother and entire village,’ the Christian Information network said." Many other such events could be cited to show the fate accorded those who denounce the religion of Islam in Muslim-dominated countries. Today, Islam’s image in the Western world is a far cry from the emotionalism, fanaticism and violence that characterized it years ago in the Middle East (e.g. the overthrow of the Shah of Iran by the radicals). Today its approach appears to combine intellectualism and generosity; however, as the above articles reveal, in principle, Islam is still as uncompromising and fearful as it has ever been.

    The Bottom Line


    The bottom line regarding the religion of Islam is that it embodies "another gospel" (Gal.1:6, 7), and thus, our Lord declares it "accursed" (v. 8). Bible believers must be prepared to present the true gospel of salvation to Muslims, desiring their deliverance from this evil darkness. A Christian’s weapons can only consist of the "truth once delivered unto the saints"—he must know the Scriptures and be prepared to use them when confronted with arguments that seem to sound right but contradict the absolute standard of the Word of God, the Bible.

    The message that must be given to Muslims is that they, like all men, are sinners who are alienated from an all-holy God. Every man, regardless of race or ethnicity, is naturally at enmity with God. Psalm 14:2-4 says, "The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the Lord" (see also Eph. 2:1-3). There is nothing man can do to merit God’s favor (Isa. 64:6; Rom. 3:12, 19-20). Titus 3:5 says, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." While man was a lost sinner and unable to effect his own salvation, God did all that was required to reconcile mankind to Himself.

    God the Father sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to bare our sin. Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood as the sacrifice for sin. He then rose bodily from the dead and now is with the Father in heaven. Believing this testimony and wholly trusting Jesus Christ for salvation is all that is necessary to be saved (1 Cor. 15:1-9; Col. 1:12-22). "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1).

    What Is The False Gospel of Islam?


    The "gospel of Islam" is something quite different from the Gospel message of salvation found in the Bible. Like many modern cults, Islam claims to revere the writings of all the prophets. Yet, Muslims unequivocally subjugate the Scriptures to the "prophecy" of Mohammed, even though this prophecy came approximately 500 years after the completion of the canon of Scripture. In his book Introduction to Islam (Columbus: Ahmadiyya Association for the Propagation of Islam, 1993), Dr. Zahid Aziz, a prominent Muslim author, answers the question, "What does one have to do in order to become a Muslim?" The answer: "A person becomes a Muslim by declaring in public an oath known as the Kalima Shahada. The Kalima contains the two basic points a Muslim has to believe: that there is only one God—Allah, and that the Holy Prophet Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger to mankind" (Aziz 3).

    A leaflet prepared by the Institute of Islamic Information and Education titled "Introducing Islam to Non-Muslims" states, "Mohammed is the very last Prophet of God to mankind. He is the final Messenger of God. His message was and is still to the Christians, the Jews and the rest of mankind. He was sent to those religious people to inform them about the true mission of Jesus, Moses, David, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham." The leaflet continues, "Mohammed is considered to be the summation and the culmination of all the prophets and messengers that came before him. He purified the previous messages from adulteration and completed the Message of God for all humanity. He was entrusted with the power of explaining, interpreting and living the teachings of the Koran."

    Believers must recognize that Joseph Smith (Mormonism), Charles T. Russell (Jehovah’s Witnesses), Mary Baker Eddy (Christian Science) and Ellen G. White (Seventh Day Adventism) have all claimed that same transcendent authority. As with all of the aforementioned, Mohammed gave his followers wicked doctrines that have plunged many into the outer darkness of eternal torment.

    One of the many insidious doctrines of Islam is the rejection of the doctrine of imputation. The leaflet "Introducing Islam to Non-Muslims" explains, "Muslims believe that people are born free of sin. It is only after they reach the age of puberty and it is only after they commit sins that they are to be charged for their mistakes. No one is responsible for or can take the responsibility for the sins of others."

    First, this doctrine denies the Biblical teaching that all mankind sinned in Adam, that is, Adam’s sin has been imputed to the whole human race (Rom. 5:12-14). Second, this is a denial of the Biblical teaching that the sin of man is imputed to Christ, that is, Christ became the world’s sinbearer on Calvary’s Cross (2 Cor. 5:21). Third, this is a denial of the Biblical teaching that the righteousness of God is imputed to men when they believe the Gospel, that is, believers possess the righteousness of God when they are saved. "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (cf. Rom. 5:15-19). By denying these truths, which are fundamental to the Gospel of salvation by grace through faith alone, Islam has laid the groundwork for a "gospel" of self-righteousness and salvation by works.

    The Bible teaches that salvation is not a reward and that heaven is the eternal abode of those who have received Christ. Islam, on the other hand, teaches that salvation is a reward for a life of relative piety and righteousness. The Koran states, "Then those whose scales are heavy, they are successful. And those whose scales are light are those who lose their souls, in hell abiding" (Sura, 23:102, 103). In fact, Muslims are encouraged to "vie one with another for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a Paradise as wide as are the heavens and the earth, prepared for those who ward off (evil)" (Sura, 3:133).

    From these denials of fundamental Biblical teachings and the establishment of a religion of self-righteousness follows the Islamic repudiation of the Savior. The following belief is so important to Islam that it was printed in bold type in the leaflet "Prophethood in Islam": "The Quranic account of Jesus emphatically rejects the concept of his ‘Divinity’ and ‘Divine Sonship….’" Furthermore, the Institute of Islamic Information and Education publishes a leaflet entitled "Is Jesus Really God?" In it they totally reject the biblical teaching that Jesus is God manifest in the flesh. In Aziz’s book Introduction to Islam, he clearly says Islam "rejects the Christian doctrine that God is unable to forgive sins unless He punishes someone, and so He sent His ‘son’ to suffer the punishment for the sins of all humanity. Moreover, a son is needed to take the place of the father when the father dies, and clearly this cannot apply if God is perfect." He then adds, "Islam refutes the idea that any human being, however great, was a ‘manifestation’ of God on earth, or a Divine incarnate" (Aziz 9).

    Nevertheless, the Word of God is plain: "God was manifest in the flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16). Jesus is the self-existent I AM (Jn. 8:58), the Creator Who dwelt as a man among men (Jn. 1:1-3, 14). Jesus Christ is the Forgiver of sin (Lk. 5:20-21). In short, God the Son and the God the Father are One (Jn. 10:30). The Lord Jesus Christ said to the religious leaders of His day who rejected His deity, "If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins" (Jn. 8:24). Islam unashamedly rejects these truths that comprise the Gospel. While many people today say that Christians and Muslims worship the same God, the Lord says, "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, HATH NOT GOD" (2 Jn. 9). An even greater condemnation is pronounced by God in 2 John 7: "For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist."

    Islam denies the doctrine of the deity of Christ. Not only is it deceptive, but it is an "antichrist" religion. This is "another gospel," and it is under God’s curse. Mohammedanism purports to be "the way of peace," but the end of Islam is the way of death. Bible believers must not yield on these eternally important points of doctrine merely because the followers of Islam claim to esteem the patriarchs and the prophets. The Christian is responsible not just to proclaim the Truth, but also to cry out against the error of any false religion.

    God’s people must be aware of the fact that many so-called Christians are willing to compromise the Truth of God’s Word in the attempt to "build bridges" with various religions. As Islam asserts itself in the area of religious dialogue, men and women who claim to represent Christianity are quickly building the credibility of Islam as a viable way to God. Rather than witnessing to these lost souls, ecumenical leaders are encouraging Christians to search for common ground with Muslims. Instead of exposing the errors of Islam, Christians are told to search for the truth in Islam. Thus, Islam is gaining a respectability that is leading many astray. For example, a September 22, 1998, Ecumenical News International (ENI) wire story carried the headline: "Christian Theologians Urged To Recognize Mohammed as a Prophet." Also, July 31, 1998, ENI headline read: "Christians and Muslims in Zimbabwe Seek Ways of Cooperation." This article clearly revealed that religious cooperation was the goal of a Zimbabwe interfaith gathering. Finally, a July 28, 1998, ENI article reported that many worldwide Anglican leaders at the 1998 Lambeth Conference announced that Christians "did not need to convert Muslims to Christianity."

    While "Christians" are patting themselves on the back for their "open-mindedness," Muslims are spreading their false religious propaganda under the cover of "dialogue." Muslims believe that all mankind must subject themselves to the teachings of the Koran in order to experience peace and blessing. They will not compromise that belief. Muslims believe that the doctrine of the Incarnation of God is blasphemy. They will not compromise on that point. Muslims believe that Mohammed is the prophet who fully revealed the final truth. They are wholly persuaded in this conviction. Muslims are "devoted to their ideals… and uncompromising with falsehood" (Moral System of Islam). Christians must realize that only the glorious, liberating light of the one true Gospel is able to break through such darkness.

    Although Muslims profess "to respect all those who are faithful and God-conscious people," it is their contention that the one true religion is Islam. Muslims trace the "true religion" from Abraham through Ishmael, but the Bible absolutely contradicts this notion. Genesis 17:15-21 makes it clear that God rejected Ishmael, confirming the covenant blessings—including the fulfillment of the true religion—to Isaac alone. In Genesis 21 Hagar and Ishmael are cast out of Abraham’s house with the sanction of God: "Let it not be grievous in thy sight" (v. 12).

    Galatians chapter three addresses the subject of true religion and directly references the events of Genesis 17 and 21. Galatians 3:8 says, "And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed." The promise of salvation for Jew and Gentile was prophesied to come through the seed of Abraham. Verse 16 clearly relates the true religion, the only Gospel, to the promise made to Abraham in Genesis 17:15-21: "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. [God] saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." The Gospel preached to Abraham was the Gospel of Christ delivered through Isaac, not the gospel of Islam delivered through Ishmael.

    Although many Muslims claim Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance, it is, in fact, characterized by instability and religious bigotry. Muslims vigorously oppose any disrespect or criticism of their religion or their "prophet." However, as Christians, it is our duty to stand for the Gospel and against all other gospels. Islam has rejected the essential teachings of the Word of God. Mohammed brought a message from a false spirit that totally opposes the Gospel of grace. The message of Islam is a curse, not a blessing. Islam is being presented as a practical, modern religion, though it holds its adherents in spiritual bondage. Christians must be diligent to witness to—not dialogue with—Muslims. This is God’s way of presenting the glorious light of the Gospel. There is only one true religion. It was prophesied in the Garden of Eden, typified in the days of Noah, confirmed to Abraham and Isaac and realized in Jesus Christ alone.