"Hmmm....so, you say your god and my God are the same. But my God has a Son and yours doesn't. Interesting..." (Image: CMLDM)
Greetings loves! Welcome to the second installment of "Ummm...That Ain't in My Bible". If you've had a chance to read Part 1 of this series, you know my entire goal is to examine and tear down some of the things non-believers and lukewarm Christians have been known to say when discussing or explaining matters of the Christian faith. I was inspired to write this piece because even I uttered some of these falsities and half-truths until I grew more committed to my walk with Christ and got serious about studying God's word.
So, in an effort to begin to speak the truth (and to help us graduate from lowly lukewarm status), in this installment I'm debunking a couple of phrases that tend to misrepresent God's attributes and Jesus's purpose.
“At the end of the day, Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God”
Many would purport that these two books describe the same God. But then one would have to question why Christianity and Islam have existed as two separate religions for centuries. There MUST be a difference...and it MUST be extremely important. (Image: Imagedb)
What is of utmost importance for every Christian to understand - especially during this generation's push for a "one world religion" and Biblical prophecy of the Antichrist and false prophets - is who God is and why Christ came. We must be sure to understand that our faith is not merely a religion for religion sake. Our faith is deeply rooted not in blind faith or some abstract conception of God, but in the reality that God IS. In our faith, we know that God is the I AM and His attributes must be accurately accounted to Him. After all, His attributes are what make Him the TRUE and LIVING GOD.
Therefore, Christians NEED to know that WE MOST CERTAINLY DO NOT worship the same God as Muslims! Our God IS NOT Allah! Allah is not our God. Many argue that the “only difference is that Muslims call God, “Allah” because “Allah” means “God” in Arabic.” False, my loves. Totally false. There are SEVERAL differences between our God and “Allah” and they span beyond linguistics. "Allah" may mean "god" in Arabic, but it doesn't mean God, the Father of Jesus Christ. God’s Father-ship is an important attribute, as Jesus is clear that He is the ONLY way to God in Heaven and, as His Son, those of us who follow Him become joint-heirs with Christ. Through Him, we, too, become the legitimate children of God (John 1:12). So, if we truly believe that Jesus is the Son of God, while Islam says their god has no son, why would you reason that our God is the same as theirs? Why would you allow another faith make you denounce your birth right and your inheritance?
“Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.””
In addition to lacking God's Father-ship, Allah has a totally different character than God. Allah also relates to mankind in a totally different manner than God. For example: Allah is described as "the best of deceivers" (Qur’an 3:54), but we know that God "is not man that He should lie" (Numbers 23:19) and "God cannot be tempted by evil" (James 1:13). Islam claims that Allah cannot be known by man, will not reveal himself to men and does not personally interact with mankind. Yet, our God welcomes all who wish to know Him intimately, calls those who walk with Him a "friend" and interacts with each believer personally (Acts 10:34; James 2:23; Isaiah 55:6). Allah requires work to earn his love. God loves us automatically (John 3:16; Romans 5:8), this quest is about us learning to love Him back. Allah leaves Muslims to their own devices to become righteous through works, which are counted toward their worthiness to enter "paradise" (Islam's version of heaven) – IF he will admit them at all. God guarantees that all in Christ are made righteous through faith alone and His spirit sanctifies us and makes us worthy.
While I’ve heard some followers of Islam profess that “Allah is love”, I’m not quite clear how they know that because, according to the Qur’an, Allah cannot be known or understood (73:20). They’re left with accepting a description of Allah based merely on what Muhammad says he is - but even Muhammad never interacted directly with Allah because, again, Allah does not interact or communicate with his creation. Yet, Jesus not only sits at God’s right hand but has sent each Christian believer a helper, the Holy Spirit, to guide us in the truth of God, to illuminate His Word and for us to get to know God’s presence and character for ourselves.
If you look to another faith to understand the God you claim you serve under Christianity, then you truly don't know God and, frankly, aren't truly saved. Don't let this blog offend you and get you bent out of shape. Use that energy to get into God's Word and read up on what I'm sharing here. I once allowed countless people to shut me up with this blasphemous "same God" claim because I wasn't in God's Word and didn't know any better. But now I do...and I want you to as well. Repent and get in your Word so that you are not deceived going forward.
“Catholicism is just another form of Christianity”
Roman Catholicism often depict Jesus as a baby in Mary's arms instead of reverencing Him as the Son of the Most High God. Some might say this is a stealth attempt to undermine Jesus's divinity as The Christ. (Image: CURA Photography)
It is true that Catholicism (Roman Catholicism, to be specific) is indeed another form of Christianity because it is a false form of Christianity. The Catholicism vs Christianity debate is one that has existed for more than 1500 years. According to the Roman Catholic Church, it is the TRUE Church...it is the home of TRUE Christianity. But those who venture to study their Bibles will easily find that Catholic doctrine teaches its followers almost everything that opposes the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To be fair, Catholicism does acknowledge Jesus - as do Muslims...as do Jehovah's Witnesses. But it diminishes, undermines and attempts to usurp His authority as not only the SON of God, but the THE ONLY WAY to God (John 14:6) - as do Muslims...as do Jehovah's Witnesses.
Catholicism teaches its followers to look to everyone BUT Jesus Christ. It teaches that the Catholic Church, rather than God's Word (the Bible), is the final authority on matters of faith (2 Timothy 3:16-17), that the Pope (a mere mortal man), rather than Jesus Christ (the Son of God) is the head of the Church (Colossians 1:18), that "saints" and Mary can be mediators and/or intercessors to Christ/God in Heaven, when it is actually Jesus Christ who is the ONLY mediator for us in heaven (1 Timothy 2:5) and it is the Holy Spirit that intercedes for us (Romans 8:26). Catholicism teaches that purgatory allows mankind another chance to be cleansed of sin, which blasphemes the work of Jesus Christ as the ultimate, only, final and fully sufficient sacrifice of sin for all (Hebrews 10:12-14; 10:26). And the fact that the Catholic Church even teaches that purgatory exists undermines the very point of God’s word, which sanctifies (purifies) us in this life (John 17:17) in this life, because man dies once and then enters judgment (Hebrews 9:27-28).
Further, Catholicism teaches that Jesus declared Peter the first “pope”, but it is my understanding that Catholic popes are said to be infallible – they are the voice of Christ Jesus and not subject to error. So, how could an infallible - official voice of Jesus Christ -"Pope Peter" DENY Christ three times even after coming to the realization of who Christ is? How could an infallible Pope Peter play the hypocrite in Antioch so shamefully that he had to be confronted by PAUL, an Apostle (John 18:15-27; Galatians 2:11). If Peter was so infallible and so worthy of the "holy" office of the papacy, how did he behave in such a manner that it was necessary that he CORRECTED by a former persecutor of Christians? When in Matthew 16:18, Jesus says, "on this rock I will build my church...", He is referring to the fact that HIS CHURCH (His body of believers) would come together on the revelation that He was not merely a man, but the Messiah, the Christ, the only begotten Son of the one true living God.
Lastly, one of the key problems Jesus Christ resolved for mankind was to fulfill the law of tradition. Mosaic law was too burdensome for sin-natured men and women to maintain holiness. The law could not cleanse us. Works do not justify us. But through Christ, the burden of the law is no more because Christ offers grace through His Spirit to MAKE us righteous, to guide us to all truth, and to sanctify us (mature us spiritually) until our sinful nature is increasingly overcome by the development of the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The Catechism and the Catholic Traditions are but another set of burdensome laws that undermine the work of Christ. God's word (aka "Scripture" aka "the Holy Bible") is the final authority and sincere faith in Jesus Christ is enough for salvation. Any works performed are but heart-felt expressions of one’s Christ-based faith, not a prerequisite to be part of the faith. The end.
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This concludes Part 2 of this series. I have many other silly (and doctrinally dangerous) phrases to debunk so be sure to check back soon. You may also subscribe to be notified as soon as new posts are published.
Thank you for reading and don't forget to share your thoughts in the comments below!
Related Posts
Ummm...That Ain't in My Bible: Stuff Lukewarm Christians Say (Part 1)
Ummm...That Ain't in My Bible: Stuff Lukewarm Christians Say (Part 3)