Reciprocity would be unthinkable ordinarily, so why should America make citizens of those with whom we are in a war? Most are lucky we don’t have a repeat of Japanese detainment/isolationism of WWII where we could not determine who was enemy and who wasn’t in the U.S.

Whatever happened to the concept of preventing international espionage?

Being from God, Jesus is called God’s Son. Jesus is one with His Father in deity yet distinct in the Trinity.

One God, one Lord
As monotheists, Muslims, Christians, and Jews all agree that there is only one true God. Jesus Himself upheld monotheism. When asked for the greatest command, Jesus responded, “. . . The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:29-30).

The Apostle Paul, leader of the early church, also taught monotheism: “There is no God but one. . . the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him (1 Corinthians 8:4-6).

As followers of Jesus, the early Christians preferred to reserve the title “God” for the one whom Jesus called “my Father and your Father” (John 20:17) and the title “Lord” for Jesus. This title indicates that Jesus is both Master and deity.

The Son of God
Christians alone believe that Jesus is God’s Son. Rest assured, the Bible (which the Qur’an commends in Surah 4:136) does not teach a parental relationship between God and Mary. That idea is as blasphemous to Christians as it is to Muslims. Rather, the concept of Christ’s being God’s Son demonstrates the relationship between the two and the shared nature of deity. At Isa’s birth, the angel told the virgin Mary:

“‘Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!’ But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. . . . of his kingdom there will be no end.’ And Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’ And the angel answered her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God’” (Luke 1:26-35).

Previously, God had spoken to man through His prophets, but then He sent One from Himself:

“In the past God spoke to our forefathers by the prophets at many times and in various ways. But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son whom He has appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in the heaven” (Hebrews 1:1-3).

This Jesus, who came to provide “purification for sins”, has the exact same essence as God yet is distinct in Person as His Son. He was the instrument through whom God created the universe (John 1). Sharing the nature of God, Jesus is one with His Father in deity.

The doctrine of Jesus as God’s Son is hard to understand, but the Word of God clearly teaches it. Who are we to limit God to our own understanding? God has revealed Himself as one God manifest in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.

Man’s testimony that Jesus is divine
Is Jesus really God’s Son? When people witnessed His miracles, teaching, death, and resurrection, they believed and testified that He was divine: “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God” (1 John 4:14-15).

* Followers of Jesus testified after he calmed a storm: “And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God’” (Matthew 14:32-33).

* Peter, Jesus’ disciple, testified: “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven’” (Matthew 16:13-17).

* A woman testified: “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world’” (John 11:25-27).

* Military officer and soldiers who were guarding Jesus at his death on the cross testified: “When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!’” (Matthew 27:54).

* Thomas testified after God raised Jesus from the dead: “Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.’ Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:24-31).

Jesus’ own testimony

* When some Jews were plotting to kill Jesus, He testified: “This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill [Jesus], because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life’” (John 5:18-24).

* At Jesus’ trial, He testified: “. . . Again the high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?’ And Jesus said, ‘I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven’” (Mark 14:61-62).

God the Father’s testimony

* God testified at Jesus’ baptism: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17; see also Luke 9:35).

* God’s testimony is truth: “If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:9-13).

Religion vs. relationship
Although mankind consists of many races and nations, speaking many languages and adhering to many religions, we all share a common need. Our greatest need is this: to know personally our Creator. If knowledge of Him depended upon man’s investigations and experimentations, then it would be essential for us to find the answers to such questions as, “If God is one, how can Jesus be His Son?” But because knowledge of God depends upon His revelation of Himself, believing His revelation found in His Word, the Bible, is more important than having our difficult questions answered. In the Bible, trusting that God’s revelation is true and obeying that truth is called faith.

We will die with many hard questions yet unanswered. But we must not die without responding personally to God’s promise of salvation through His Son. Before Jesus came to earth in the form of man, He was with God the Father. God sent His Son to be born of a virgin. As God in the flesh, Jesus lived a perfect life.

He didn’t deserve the punishment for sin: separation from God by death. But by dying on the cross and rising from the dead, he paid the penalty for sin and broke the dominance of sin for those who believe.

God is calling sinners to turn from their own way to the living Lord Jesus in repentance and faith. “God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:16-18).

Believe in God’s Son today, trusting Jesus to save you from the penalty and power of sin and to give you eternal life in heaven.

Although our sins separate us from the holy God and His paradise, He sent a sinless One to intercede for us!

A Muslim believes that his choices on earth affect his entrance to either heaven or hell. A wise man once said, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). This wise man was Isa/Jesus.

No doubt Isa will be in paradise. But He warned that heaven wasn’t easily obtained. He said, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:13-15). The one way to paradise is not easy to find. Many people, deceived by false prophets, try to enter heaven the wrong way. Their end is hell.

If you doubt that you can make it to paradise, the Qur’an instructs you where to find out: “And if you are in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto you, then question those who read the Scripture (that was) before you. . .” (Surah 10:94).

Scripture (the Bible) tells us how we can be assured of paradise.

Can good works earn us a place in heaven?
A true Muslim is submitted to Allah. That means Allah controls all he thinks, acts, speaks. If a Muslim does something Allah would not do (such as lie, worry, covet), he is not fully surrendered to Allah. That is sin. Can good works make up for sin?

The Bible says, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. . . . for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:20, 23).

God is just and will not let sin go unpunished—regardless of how well the Five Pillars are kept or how many good deeds are done. Even one sin is enough to merit hell fire (James 2:10). Since sin prevents our entrance to heaven, and God, being just, will not arbitrarily forgive sin, who will help us?

Can Muhammad intercede for us?
While some hadiths suggest that Muhammad may intercede for them, Muslims accept the Qur’an as their ultimate authority. It teaches that a mere man—even Muhammad—cannot mediate on behalf of sinful men (Surah 2:48; 6:51; 35:18).

Can Isa intercede for us?
A mediator to the holy God must be perfect himself. He must be no ordinary person. Thankfully, God sent the holy Jesus to intercede for sinful man: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:5-6a).

Many people witnessed Jesus Christ as a prophet, teacher, and miracle worker. They told “how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins” (Acts 10:38-43).

All true prophets witness that Jesus is the only way sinners can be forgiven. Without Jesus as your Savior from sin, you will face Him as Judge with your sins exposed. Jesus says, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24).

You must turn from your sin and realize that you cannot earn paradise through good deeds. Believe that Jesus is the Savior sent from God to save you from the penalty and power of sin. If you refuse to follow Him, you must be separated from the holy God in hell.

Those who trust in Jesus—not merely knowing about Him but relying on Him for salvation, submitting to Him as Master, and loving Him as the greatest treasure—will be saved from sin and hell.

Jesus assures those who follow Him of heaven! “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes [on Me] has eternal life” (John 6:47).

Many Muslims have never read a Bible because they think the Qur’an has replaced it. The Qur’an, however, never claims to annul the Bible. The one instance of abrogation affected only the Qur’an’s own verses (Surah 2:106). The Qur’an instructs – not forbids – Muslims to read the Bible (Surah 5:44, 46; 3:3; 10:94-95).

While Muslim scholars have annulled dozens of verses in the Qur’an, Muslims still read them. Therefore, all Muslims should certainly read the “before Scriptures” which will never be superseded. God says “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

Some people say that just as the Injeel (Gospel) abrogated the Tauret (Torah/law), the Qur’an replaces the Gospel. However, the Gospel did not abrogate the Torah. The perfect Isa came not to abolish the law but to fulfill the law for those who cannot keep it.

Isa/Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17-18).

In fact, Jesus showed that God’s law was even harder to keep than men think. He deepened the meaning of the law, saying, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. . . . You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28).

Have you met that perfect standard? The Gospel says none of us can keep the demands of the law. We deserve hell (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Thankfully, Jesus Christ faultlessly kept the law of God. Find out how Jesus can transfer His goodness to you, so you may have assurance of paradise, click here.

Trust God’s “before Scripture”; it can never be annulled. “The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever” (Psalm 119:160).

Recommended Resource: Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross by Norm Geisler.

Suffocating and all encompassing

Islamic rituals for washing (sex, so forth) can encompass all your thought processes, occupy your every waking hour.

If I had to live under the restrictions of Islam, I’d be ready to kill someone in a matter of days.

Absolutely. A bunch of paranoid neurotics, desperately afraid of transgressing the smallest “religious” maxim.

Converting to Christianity = following Jesus

True Christians don’t follow the rules of a religion but follow their Lord Jesus Christ. While some supposedly convert to Christianity in name only, Jesus knows His true followers. Only these will enter heaven.

Mo says: “…but it is christian upon christian.”

NOT!!

First, following Jesus costs yourself. Jesus told the crowds, “Whoever will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (Mark 8:34). The cross was an instrument of death. Therefore, taking up your cross means dying to self. To reject this cross is to reject Christ. Such a person is unworthy to be Christ’s disciple (Luke 14:27). To follow Jesus, all your earthly desires and ambitions must be crucified.

Second, following Jesus may cost losing family and friends. Jesus explains in Matthew 10:32-39 that His coming brings division between His followers and their families. Anyone who does not hate (meaning love less) his family is not worthy to be Christ’s follower.

If you deny Jesus in order to maintain peace in your earthly family, He will deny you entrance to paradise. But if you confess Him before men, regardless of the personal price you may pay, He will say to His Father, “This one is mine – welcome him into Your kingdom.” Once His follower, you will be a part of God’s family, the church.

Third, following Jesus may cost losing your possessions. One rich man proudly thought he was good enough to go to heaven. Testing him, “Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me’” (Matthew 19:21). Loving wealth more than Christ, the rich man sadly forsook Jesus.

Grasping onto the things of this short life is worthless if it means eternity apart from God. Jesus said, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).

Finally, following Jesus will cost trials and persecution. Jesus encourages you to expect it as a normal part of being His follower. Jesus even called the persecuted one “blessed” and tells us to “rejoice and be glad for your reward in heaven is great” (Matthew 5:10-12).

Remember that God’s people have always been persecuted. The prophets were persecuted, reviled, tortured, and killed (Hebrews 11:37). The 12 disciples of Jesus (except John who was exiled) were executed for preaching Christ.

If you follow Jesus, you become a member of the family of God and become His witness to your loved ones and the world. The persecution you experience brings glory to God. As Romans 8:28 says, trust God to work all things – even persecution – for good.

The rewards far outweigh the cost of following Jesus! Jesus promised, “He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him” (John 12:25-26).

Follow Jesus who suffered: “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, ‘who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth’ and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls” (1 Peter 2:21-25).

Recommended Resource: Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ by John Piper.

I’d say we are pretty clever.We are surely better than you. You consider yourself SUPERIOR, yet USA and the jews control your government. I say more power to us.

Peter points out: Which is exactly why there is more Muslim on Muslim violence than even Muslim on Jew or Muslim on Christian. You see it everywhere! ‘That Muslim isn’t Muslim-enough for me, so I must kill him as an infidel!’ God forbid Islam does take over the entire world, the violence won’t stop because they will all just turn on each other.

As I said before (either on this thread or another, I forget where), at least I don’t have to worry about being killed by some crazed Baptist because I’m not Baptist or have my wife and daughter raped in front of me by some fundamentalist Mormom because I’m not a Mormon.

I do have to worry about those things in Islamic countries!

Peter writes: AH HA! So even MO admits his own holy book is WRONG! Because the book DOES say you can do this, and several Muslim countries not only allow it, but advocate it!

You’re making progress, Susan! Mo is starting to crack and admit the misdeeds of his religion!