The Koran versus the Bible

Koran versus the Bible

There is a religion which says Adam and Eve lived and sinned, but they were cast from heaven instead of the earth.
This religion is the faith known as “Islam.”
Two weeks ago we studied some introductory matters concerning Islam.
This religion is an on-going part of modern news, and we should know at least a few things about it.
Today I want to offer some contrasts between the faith of Islam and the faith described in the Bible.
This lesson is designed to be factual in nature; there is no intent or desire to mock this faith.
My purpose is to share some of the main beliefs of Islam so are better equipped to convert Muslims.
Those involved with Islam need Christ – only Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

Most have likely heard of the “Koran,” a book which is considered the “holy book” for Islam.
The Koran has some of the same things we find in the Bible, but there are also some big differences.
We read about the “devil” in the Koran, and the Koran says the devil was created from fire (S. 7:12).
We also read about “hell” in the Koran, and Koran says those who go there get black skin because of the heat (S. 74:29).
According to the Koran, those who go to hell (S. 14:16-17) will drink boiling water.
“Heaven” is mentioned in the Koran, but it is said to have goblets, rich carpets, and cushions (S. 88:13-16).

TO THOSE WHO ARE NOT ALL THAT INTERESTED IN RELIGION, THE DIFFERENCES THUS FAR AND THE DIFFERENCES YET TO BE COVERED MAY NOT SEEM TO BE ALL THAT IMPORTANT.

After all, do not those who profess to believe the Bible seek to follow the same God found in Islam?
Some would answer believers in the Bible and the Koran follow the same God.
From what I have studied and know, I do not believe we and Muslims believe in the same God.
1. Most here today are likely aware that members of the Muslim faith speak about “Allah” as God.
2. If we study the Bible, how many times do we find the name ALLAH in the 66 books of the Bible?

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There is not a single passage in any translation known to me that refers to God as “Allah.”

Throughout the Bible we do have multiple descriptions for God.
We find names like Adonia, El, Elohim; we have 4 Hebrew consonants (YHWH) – Jehovah/Yahweh?
If we accept what the Bible says about God, ALLAH is not a name God has approved or even revealed.

I know some claim “Allah” is “the Arabic word for God” so some claim Allah is the same as the God we serve.
Regardless of what Allah may mean in Arabic, I think there is sufficient evidence to conclude Allah is not the LORD.
The God of the Bible and the god of Islam cannot be the same because of someone named Jesus.

Imagine a Christian sanding up saying, “I do not believe that Jesus is the “son of God.”
“I know the New Testament speaks about the Son of God more than 40 times, but those verses are not true.”
“I know the miracles of Jesus are designed to prove Jesus is the Son of God (Jn. 20:31), but I reject this idea.
I know I the Bible speaks about the necessity of confessing Jesus as the Son of God (1 Jn. 4:15), but I will not do that.
If a person rejects Jesus as the Son of God he is a heretic; such a person is denying a key NT teaching..

If we look at the Koran and the Muslim faith, what do we find about Jesus being the Son of God?
This faith emphatically denies that “Allah” has a son.
Believing in Jesus as the “Son of God of God” is specifically classified as “monstrous” belief (S. 19:88-89).
1. The Koran says the “God” known as Allah has no “son,” but the God of the Bible says Jehovah has a Son.
2. The denial of Allah having a “son” is pretty interesting when we compare it to the Bible.

When Jesus as on the earth and engaged in His earthly ministry He met up with some demons.
There were times when these evil spirits confessed Jesus, and do we remember how they addressed Him?
1. Demons recognized Jesus as the “Son of God.”
  1. Two examples of this are found in Lk. 4:41 and Lk. 8:28.
  2. Both these verses are going to be read – READ

The “God” of Islam cannot be the God of the Bible because the God of the Koran is “sonless.”

When we think about Jesus as the Son of God, we remember Him as the One who died for sins of mankind.
1. In fact, Paul told the Corinthians he wanted to know “nothing among them except Christ and Him crucified.”
2. Paul made it clear to the Corinthians that he wanted to focus on the death of Christ (1 Cor. 2:2).

A good portion of the New Testament is somehow connected with the death of the Son of God.

Allah is regarded as the “God” who not only is without a son, it affirms Jesus was not
1. In the 4^th Sura (“chapter”) of the Koran, verses 156-158 we find some very explicit statements:
2. The Koran says Jesus was not killed. The Koran says the Lord was not crucified.

The Koran says it only “appeared the Lord died.

In my copy of the Koran the text says “for of a surety they killed him not.”

The Koran is a religion which denies some of the most fundamental truths in the Bible.
People who are not spiritually inclined may not regard this as all that big of a deal.

The Bible says when people start making false claims about the Lord, they are among God’s enemies.
Listen to what John said in 1 Jn. 2:22-23:
1. Who is the liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, (even) he that denieth the Father and the Son. 23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that confesseth the Son hath the Father also.

The word “anti” was known to John and it is also known to us.
If we are “anti-smoking,” we are “against” If we are “antisocial” we are against being social.
When a person or group denies truths about Jesus, they are “anti” (against) Christ.
The Islamic faith is “anti” Christ in some of its teachings.

WHAT WE FIND IN THE KORAN ABOUT GOD DOES NOT AGREE WITH THE BIBLE, AND THIS FACT SHOULD MAKE US WONDER IF THERE IS ALSO DISAGREEMNT IN THE BIBLE AND THE CONCERN OVER THE “WILL OF GOD” FOR MANKIND.

If we study about God’s will from the Bible and the Koran we again find some conflicting teachings.
In the Bible God’s will as it is expressed in the New Testament is world-wide evangelism.

The God of the Bible says His people are to go to “every creature” (Mk. 16:15).
The Son of God told His disciples to “preach” to the people they encountered (Mk. 16:15).
1. In Koran we read about something called Jihad.
2. Jihad means “an effort of striving.” Jihad is a “religious war.”
3. Some claim Jihad is a spiritual struggle; the “flesh lusting against the spirit so to speak.”
4. Others take a more radical view and see Jihad in terms of physical violence.

There are more than 100 verses in the Koran that speak about Jihad.

In our culture we hear repeated claims that Islam is a religion of peace.
The violence which is associated with this faith is sometimes said to be from radicals who have perverted it.
1. This claim is either completely true, completely false, or a mixture of truth and error.
2. Last Friday night I listened to a panel debate whether Jihad includes or excludes violence.
3. About the only thing that came from that discussion was a lot of shouting.
4. Those who say the Koran does not promote violence argue we are just not understanding what this book says.
5. The common argument is that “If we could just read the Koran in the original language, we would see it is peaceful.”

I am not a Muslim, an expert on the faith of Islam, or able to read the Koran in its original language.
When it comes to what Jihad means, there is a Bible principle that comes to mind from Josh. 1:8.
This principle says the right way is usually somewhere in the middle – not way off on the right or the left.
This may be the best way to look at what is called Jihad.
By this I mean Islam may not “require” violence, but it certainly can promote it.
One person said “Every twelfth verse of Islam’s holiest book either speaks to Allah’s hatred for non-Muslims or calls for their death, forced conversion, or subjugation.”

We know this faith has been used in some very bad ways, and this is something to not overlook.
Again and again we are told violence based on the Koran is just from a minority of its adherents.
1. The next time we hear this statement, consider this:
2. The world’s current population is said to be in excess of 7 billion people.
3. Fairly modern estimates indicate the world’s population is about 25% Muslim.
4. If there are approximately 1.6 billion Muslims are in the world and just 1% of them are violent, do the math.
5. If my computation is correct, this means there are more than 15,000 million radical Muslims in the world.

WHEN I SEE PEOPLE SUPPORTING OR PROMOTING ISLAM AND PERHAPS DEMEANING THE BIBLE AND CHRISTIANITY, I ALMOST IMMEDIATELY WONDER IF THEY ARE NOT UNFAMILIAR WITH OR IGNORANT ABOUT BOTH FAITHS.

In the Korah there are 144 Surahs (chapters).
In the 4^th Surah (chapter) there is some information about women.
1. Surah 4:34 says “Men are the protectors and maintainers of women.”
2. This verse goes on to say men have “more strength” than women.
Feminists might be able to choke just a bit on the first part of this verse, but not be able to accept the rest.
1. The Koran says women are to be “devoutly obedient.”
2. If (same verse) a woman is disloyal, admonish her, refuse to share her bed, and then beat her.

In my copy of the Koran I read about wife-beating. This is hardly if ever mentioned on the news.

Another surprise is also in the Koran (S. 38:44 says Allah told Job to beat his wife with a green branch).
1. As Islam is praised and honored, no one seems to talk about verses which speak about wife-beating.
2. The Bible is berated, but people barely pause to see what it says about men and their wives.
3. In the Bible, wives are to be loved instead of beaten.
4. “Husbands love your wives, even as Christ loved the church” (Eph. 5:25).

In addition to being a book sometimes used for violent Jihad, this religion says it is ok to beat a wife.
In my copy of the Koran the beating is modified with the word “lightly” in parenthesis.
I have a difficult time understanding what a “light beating” is (a “beating” sounds pretty bad in my book).
How odd that school systems will uphold the Koran (and by implication wife beating) but no spanking in schools.

There are many significant differences between the Bible and the Koran.
1. In the Koran we are told God hates those who do not accept Islam (S. 30:45).
2. Does the Bible tell us God hates those who reject the gospel?
3. The book of John (3:16) says God “loves the world.” Christ came to die for sinners.
4. God wants to save people; He does not want a single person to perish.

Thieves are given the opportunity to repent and work with their hands to help people (Eph. 4:28).
The Koran (S. 5:38-39) speaks about cutting off the hands of male and female thieves.
There are attempts to explain away this information, just like the other are explanations about Jihad.
The more this book is read the more times we find Muslims telling us “The passage really does not meant that.”
I suspect Mohammed took this idea from Mt. 5:30 and disregarded the context of Jesus’ teaching.

When we look at the Islamic faith we find a belief about the end of time and a future judgment.
Vivid descriptions of these things are given in the Koran, but what is said conflicts with the Bible.

In talking about a judgment and the end of time the Koran speaks about these things being preceded by “signs.”
1. The Koran says “clear signs” and “natural catastrophes” will help men know that judgment is on the way.
2. It says there will be tumults, seditions, the sun and the moon will be darkened.

In our time we are very familiar with things like plagiarism and imitation products.
1. In many respects Islam seems to be an imitation of Christianity.
2. It appears many ideas were basically copied from the Bible and badly re-worked to form this religion.
3. This faith qualifies as “another gospel” and is thus to be avoided as Paul described in Gal. 1:8-9.
4. Unless God has other plans, it is likely we are going to be exposed to this faith more and more.

Islam seems to be growing, but it is not growing because it is true or because it is the right way to God.
It is growing because many of its adherents are willing to lay their lives and resources on the line for this faith.
Many are willing to die for the Muslim faith.

Islam is not the right way to God, but the zeal of its adherents is the type of zeal we are to have. Do we?

Commentary for the Sermon on the Mount