Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?

The simple answer is, “No!”

Jews, Muslims and Christians are said to worship the same God, but this is simply not true. In my town there are 4 people I know with my name. One is a methodist minister, there is me, a baptist minister, there is a journalist and someone else I don’t know personally at all. We have the same name, and apart from being men, we are nothing like each other in appearance, age or character. We are different people.

“Do you know David Harding?” asks a woman. “Yes!” comes the reply, “he’s a great friend. He writes for the Rochdale Observer.” “No he doesn’t,” says the woman, “he is a baptist preacher.” Imagine the argument. Along comes another person who says, “Don’t argue, we all are friends with a David Harding. Let’s leave it at that!” If we did that in any other situation than in talking about God we would see how superficial and mistaken it was.

It is true there is only one God. If someone says God’s name is Allah, but the Bible says it isn’t, then someone is wrong. If the Bible says that God is one and God is also three. He is one being existing in three persons, and someone else says that Jesus was a mighty angel and nothing more and that the Holy Spirit is merely another name for God’s power, someone is wrong.

The great question we should ask is “Who is the God of Abraham?” That question has been answered in a booklet we can send to you freely. Contact us and ask for the booklet, “Who is the God of Abraham?”

When you put what the God of Islam is like and the God of the Bible, you would see that there could hardly be a greater difference. Although our culture urges us to be accepting of each other’s views, let us at least be honest. The Christian message teaches that God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, created the world perfect, man sinned, and God promised to send a Saviour. That Saviour was promised and prophesied in the Old Testament by what Muslims call the former prophets. Christ was born, lived a holy life, taught astonishing truths including that we should love our enemies. He then died on behalf of others, in their place and taking their judgment and punishment. He rose and is now the Lord of all, the only Saviour. The God of the Bible tells us that we cannot earn our salvation, but have to receive it as a free gift. The Bible is categoric: by grace you are saved, through faith, and that is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: not by works so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

At every point Islamic doctrine opposes this teaching. Moses described Abraham’s God, and of one thing we may be absolutely certain, the God Moses wrote about is not the God Mohammed described. They do not even have the same name.

This doesn’t mean that I, as a Christian, have a hostile spirit to any Muslim. I have many Muslim friends, and we meet together, talk together and eat together. However, we do not kid each other  by pretending that we are all going in the same direction. We are open and honest with each other on that matter.

Send for that booklet, “Who is the God of Abraham?” It will at least show you why I have answered in this way.