After discussing that the Bible has not been corrupted, a Muslim friend asked us for a Bible for his son. (Photo by Shawn Dowd, Mission: Kilimanjaro 2007)
As Christians, we believe that God’s Word has been protected and preserved over the centuries for the blessing and building of His Church. “The grass withers, the flower fades,” we read in Isaiah 40:8, “but the word of our God stands forever.”
Inspired, inerrant and intact; our Bible is the true representation of the words that the Holy Spirit breathed in and through each human writer many years ago.
Yesterday, we talked about the importance of Muslims reading the accounts of Isa (or Jesus) found within the Injil (if you missed it, click on the link at the bottom of the page). Unfortunately, most followers of Islam have been taught that the Injil – along with the Taurat (the Torah of Moses) and Zabur (the Psalms of David) – have been changed since they were originally written. Muslims typically believe that although they were once holy books, they have since been corrupted. Thus, as we saw on Day 6, the Qur’an is said to be Allah’s final word to mankind.
However, our Muslim friend will actually find a very different idea within his or her own Qur’an. “Perfected is the word of the Lord in truth and justice,” we find in Surah 6:115, “there is nothing that can change his words.”
This portion of the Qur’an teaches that Allah’s words are unchangeable.
As Muhammad received his supposed revelations from the angel Gabriel, the validity of the Injil, the Taurat or the Zabur (God’s former revelations) were never actually called into question. The Qur’an may indeed reject the interpretation of these writings, but never the substance.
The idea that the books were changed seems to have come well after the days of Muhammad. In fact, in Surah 4:136, we find this amazing statement: “O you who believe! Believe in… the Scripture which He revealed aforetime.” This incredible portion of the Qur’an (along with Surahs 5:46-47, 64-66; and 10:94) reveal that Muhammad never questioned the validity of the Jewish and Christian Scriptures.
The implication here is that the difference between the corruption of the Injil (and other earlier writings) versus its misinterpretation is huge. It means that once our Muslim friend hears these points (likely for the first time) they will hopefully want to learn more about these “other” Scriptures.
With great care, we can lovingly point our friend to this portion of the Qur’an in the hope that their heart will soften and their mind open to the truth of Jesus. Upon reading these “other Scriptures,” God’s true Word will work as a double-edged sword in their heart!
DISCLAIMER: The same passage referenced above (Surah 4:136) also encourages the reader to believe in Muhammad as the prophet of Allah. Clearly then, we must fully acknowledge that although there are some flickers of truth in the Qur’an, it is mostly a book filled with false teachings.
As we’ve seen, in spite of the many barriers and false claims in Islam there are a number of potential bridges as well. With a lot a prayer and a little boldness, perhaps God would use us to walk our Muslim friend across some of those bridges.
One additional example is a special name given to Isa. He is called Kalimatullah, meaning “Word of God.” This is largely derived from Surah 3:45, in which we find this unbelievable description of Isa:
“Remember when the angels said: O Maryam [Mary]! Truly, Allah gives you glad tidings of a Word from Him, whose name will be Masih, Isa [Messiah, Jesus] the son of Maryam, held in honor in this world and the Hereafter, and will be one of those who are near to Allah.”
We can draw our Muslim friend’s attention not only to the fact that this unique title is given only to Isa, but that the Qur’an doesn’t say Isa received a word from God or that Isa delivered a word from God. Rather, Isa is called the very “Word of God”!
This would be a great time to share the truth about Isa, as found within the Gospel. In chapter 1, verse 14, John’s Gospel beautifully reveals that, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
- Pray for many followers of Islam to hear and believe the Word of God. May the above (and other) portions of the Qur’an be used to draw Muslims out of Islam and to the feet of Isa!
- Pray for followers of Jesus to be loving and patient in leading Muslim friends to Christ. May many have hearts to balance standing for truth, while meeting Muslims where they are.
