Do Christians Worship the Same God as Jews & Muslims?
Do Christians, Jews, and Muslims Worship the Same God?
I explore a lot of this kind of question in depth on The Tegan Perkins Podcast, which is the current episode. One question that I hear so often and which I really had to think about here, is this question: Do Christians, Jews, and Muslims worship the same God? Many people think the answer is yes, but in this episode, I explain why I find the answer to be no, from my Christian viewpoint.
What about we take a look at God's portrayal through the eyes of a Christian first? We claim God to be triune—one God who has the three ever-existing Father, Son, and Holy Spirit forms, Elohim. It’s not just a tiny detail that might be set aside, but actually it’s the core of the Christian faith. God is one in nature, yet three separate persons who are inseparably united in will and purpose.
I then talk about the similarities between Judaism and Christianity as far as their shared roots and beliefs about God’s attributes. But, the Christian faith goes in a different direction at the point of the New Covenant, with Jesus Christ being its mediator. Since Jesus is denied as the Messiah and God in the flesh, by Judaism, Christians, therefore, cannot say that we worship the same God in the greatest sense.
After that, my focus is on the Islamic faith that claims to be worshiping the same God as the Jews and the Christians. By considering some of the Qur’anic verses, I clarify that Islam directly disassociates Jesus’ divinity and the Trinity, the two main things of God’s revealed nature, from its perspective. While Christians say there is only one God, Biblical writings concede that not acknowledging the Son is synonymous with not knowing the Father.
Qu'ran Surah's:
* Surah At-Tawbah 9:30
* Surah At-Tawbah 9:31
* Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:116
This podcast is all about stressing the point that these are not insignificant theological differences that separate the three, but rather, they are the very foundations upon which the question of God’s identity rests. Jesus is the one who is worthy to be worshipped, and salvation is through Him only, by grace through faith, according to Christianity.
My Lord and Savior is Jesus Christ, and it is only through Him that I am saved.
Bible Verse's: Old Testament/Tanakh (OT)
* Genesis 1:1
* Genesis 1:26
* Genesis 35:7
* Deuteronomy 6:4
* Isaiah 45:5–6
* Isaiah 48:16–17
* Jeremiah 31:31
New Testament (NT)
* Matthew 2:11
* Matthew 28:19
* Mark 12:29
* Luke 22:20
* Luke 24:52–53
* John 9:39
* John 14:6
* Acts 4:11–12
* Acts 9:2
* Acts 11 (specifically Acts 11:26 is implied — first use of “Christian”)
* Acts 14:11–15
* Romans 4:4–5
* 1 Corinthians 8:4
* Galatians 2:16
* Ephesians 2:8–9
* 1 Timothy 2:5
* Titus 3:5
* Hebrews 1:6
* 1 John 2:23
* Revelation 22:8–9
Resources
Do Jews and Christians worship the same God?. GotQuestions.org. (n.d.). https://www.gotquestions.org/Jews-Christians-worship-same-God.html
Pavlovitz, J. (2018, August 19). What it means to be called a Christian and who doesn’t qualify. Milwaukee Independent. https://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/john-pavlovitz/means-called-christian-doesnt-qualify/#:~:text=The%20term%20%22Christian%22%20was%20likely%20a%20slur,Oppression%20from%20the%20government%20and%20religious%20leaders
Staff, C. A. (n.d.). What were Christians called before St. Ignatius of antioch referred to them as Catholics? https://www.catholic.com/qa/what-were-christians-called-before-st-ignatius-of-antioch-referred-to-them-as-catholics
