Who is God, and How Are We Saved?

On March 2, 2009, I had a dialogue/debate on this topic with Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Below is a transcript of my opening statement.

Assalamu Alaykum. Greetings to everyone.

I would like to thank you all for taking time off from your busy schedule in order to participate in this discussion with us today.

….…

Before I proceed to present my opening statement, allow me to give you all an idea of what I am going to be talking about.

The topic is “Who is God, and How Are We Saved?” and since I am a Muslim and Thabiti is a Christian, it is obviously, mostly, if not only, going to be discussed from an Islamic and Christian perspective. 

Islam and Christianity share a lot in common in regards to who God is (e.g., He is All-Knowing, All-Powerful, etc.) However, I won’t be spending time discussing what we Muslims and Christians have in common tonight for two reasons:

1) Most of you are already aware of the fact that Muslims and Christians already agree upon such fundamental beliefs.

2) You didn’t come here to just watch two people agree with each other because that’s boring. So I want to make tonight’s discussion a little livelier.

Based on my experience, the following areas are the important ones where Muslims and Christians most often disagree upon:

- How to understand God’s Oneness

- God’s attribute of love

- God’s attributes of mercy & justice

- How are we saved?

- Can we be certain that we are saved?

God’s Oneness

The first pillar of Islam requires one to testify and acknowledge with sincerity that there is no God except Allah and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah.

There are many Muslims who usually like to present Allah’s Oneness from three different perspectives.

1) Allah is one in Lordship. Muslims must believe that Allah is the sole Lord who is in control of all things. He is the ultimate being who sustains and nourishes all things, and there is no one else who shares that kind of authority along with Him.

2) Allah is one in being worthy of worship. It’s possible that one may believe in a being, whether natural or supernatural, who is worthy of worship even though he believes that Allah is the only Creator. This is unacceptable in Islam, and it amounts to Shirk or setting up partners with Allah, which is the one unforgivable sin in Islam. It is not enough for a Muslim to simply believe that Allah is the only Lord who is in control of all things. Rather, he must also direct his worship to no one but God.

3) Allah is one in His attributes. Allah is All-Merciful, All-Just, All-Knowing, All-Exalted, etc. The Muslim must believe that only Allah alone could be ascribed with such titles and no one else.

The Christian, at this point, would say to himself that he agrees with all of these points that I just stated, so where is the point of disagreement?

Islam insists that Allah is only one person and can only be one person. However, the Christian insists that God is one being manifested in three different persons. When the Christian says that “God is one,” he means to say that God has one essence that happens to be shared by three different persons. What is the difference between “being” and “person” you might ask? Well, as one Christian puts it in the context of explaining the Trinity: being is what God is, and person is who God is. So God is one what, but three whos. These three whos are the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit.

Does that make any sense? What do Christians mean when they say that there is one being who is God, but three different persons who share that one being’s essence?

That is as illogical as me saying:

- Thabiti is a human being.

- Brian is a human being.

- Bassam is a human being.

- These are not three human beings, but three different persons who share ONE essence, which is human.

Obviously, no one says that one essence, “human,” is being shared by seven billion people on Earth today. Rather, we say that there are seven billion human beings on earth.

Islam states that Allah is one person. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is reported to have said in an authentic narration attributed to him:

There is no person more jealous than Allah and there is no person more fond of accepting an excuse than Allah on account of which He has sent messengers, announcers of glad tidings and warners; and no person is more fond of praise than Allah on account of which Allah has promised Paradise. (Saheeh Muslim, Hadith no. 2755)

The following narration makes this point clearer. It comes in a very long narration discussing the afterlife. After the Prophet (peace be upon him) tells his companion that Allah will gather all the Muslims and they will look at Him on the Day of Judgment, the companion states:

يا رسول الله : كيف وهو شخص واحد ونحن ملء الأرض

Oh Messenger of Allah. How will that happen when He (i.e., Allah) is only one person while we fill the earth? (Ibn Khuzaymah, Kitab al Tawheed, Volume 2, page 461)

Notice that the companion of the Prophet (peace be upon him) said that Allah is one person, and when you continue reading the narration, you would see that the Prophet (peace be upon him) approved of that statement.

Furthermore, one, just by reading the Qur’an alone can see that it is obvious that Allah is only one person. The Qur’an says in Surah 112:

Say: He is Allah! The One and Only.

Allah is constantly referred to in the singular pronoun throughout the Qur’an. You won’t refer to someone in the singular pronoun constantly unless that someone is a single person.

Similarly, throughout the Bible, God is referred to in the singular pronoun over 20,000 times.

The first three out of the Ten Commandments state:

Exodus 20:2-7

2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;

3 Do not have any other gods before me.

4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me,

6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7 You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.

Who’s speaking here? Only one person is speaking here because the singular pronouns “me” and “his” and “I” are being used here.

It is true that in some passages like Genesis 1:26 God applies the plural pronoun to Himself just as we also have in the Qur’an; however, Jews have traditionally understood these to be plurals of majesty and not quantity. Furthermore, one rule in interpreting scripture is to interpret the verses in minority in light of the majority and God being referred to in the singular are in the vast majority.

Furthermore, the Gospel of John reports Jesus saying to the Father:

John 17:3

Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

Notice how the Father is being referred to as THE ONLY TRUE GOD. If the Father is the only true God, then it is not possible that the Son and Holy Spirit be God at the same time.

God’s Attribute of Love

There are Muslim Christian debates that specifically surround this topic in particular.

Surah 85, ayah 14 of the Qur’an says about Allah:

And He is the Forgiving, the Loving,

Now, does the Qur’an teach that God loves everyone unconditionally? No, it does not.

The Qur’an states in Surah 3, ayah 31:

Say (Oh Muhammad): If you love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your faults, and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful

Here we see that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is commanded to tell the people that they must follow his guidance, which was revealed to him from Allah in order to receive Allah’s love. Allah says in Surah 21, ayah 107:

And We have not sent you but as a mercy to the worlds.

So here we see that Allah is offering His love and mercy to everyone in the form of Islam. If one rejects Islam, then he or she is rejecting Allah’s offer of love in turn. It’s not an issue of Allah not wanting to love the person, but an issue of the person not allowing Allah’s love to reach him.

Based on my research, I have seen that many Christians object to this concept of God. Many Christians are taught that God loves everyone unconditionally. But we have to ask ourselves two questions here. One, is this a logical belief? Second, is this a Biblical belief?

Well, is it logical? I can’t see how it is. Christians believe that those who reject Christianity will be sent off to hell for eternity. How can God love those whom He sends off to hell for eternity? Furthermore, if God loves everyone, that would then mean that God loves Satan. Do you really want to believe that God loves Satan?

Secondly, is it Biblical? I would have to say no. There are two verses that Christians most often appeal to in the Bible while attempting to prove that the God of the Bible loves everyone unconditionally. The first one is:

1 John 4:16

God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him

This really isn’t a strong argument. The verse only states that God has the attribute of love. It doesn’t say that He is only love, or that He loves everyone, especially when there are plenty of verses in the Bible that shows that God hates sinners.

The second verse is:

John 3:16

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should ... have eternal life

However, Christians who adhere to the Calvinist school of thought, more specifically the five-point Calvinists, explain that “world” here only refers to those whom God has elected to be saved. (Paul L. Freeman, What’s Wrong With Five-Point Calvinism? He loves me - loves me not, Source)

The Gospel of John contains many examples of verses where “the world” is the object of an action, yet its meaning is restricted. Let me give one example:

John 14:17

17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[a] in you.

Here the verse states that “the world” cannot accept the Holy Spirit; however, Christianity teaches that there are Christians who accept the Holy Spirit, so we must restrict the meaning of “world” here to only refer to disbelievers.

Similarly, there are Christians who have said that “world” in John 3:16 must only be restricted to believers.

Now, are there any good reasons for believing that the God of the Bible does not love everyone? Yes, there are at least two.

Hebrews 12:6-8

6because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
      and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined, then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.

John Gill, in his commentary, stated:

All men are not the objects of God’s love, only a special people, whom he has chosen in Christ; for whom he has given his Son, when they were sinners and enemies; whom he quickens and calls by his grace, justifies, pardons, and accepts in Christ; and whom he causes to love him; these he loves with an everlasting and unchangeable love, and in a free and sovereign way, without any regard to any motive or condition in them. (John Gill, The New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible, Commentary on Hebrews 12:6, Source)

Elsewhere in the Bible, it states:

Romans 8:38-39

38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The verse makes it clear that the love of God is in “Christ Jesus.” It is because those saints take Jesus as their Lord and Savior that they will not be separated from the love of God. However, we do know that there are those who reject Jesus as their lord and savior, which then means that God does not love that individual.

So I really believe that Islam and Christianity are in agreement over God’s attribute of love, but Muslims and Christians are not in agreement regarding this agreement because Christians are continued to be taught that God loves everyone unconditionally, which is contrary to what the Bible actually says.

God’s Attributes of Mercy & Justice

Surah 2, ayah 37 states:

Verily, He is the One Who forgives (accepts repentance), the Most Merciful}

In Surah 7, ayah 156 Allah states:

My Mercy embraces all things

However, Allah is also just, for He says in Surah 10, ayah 47:

And for every Ummah (a community or a nation) there is a Messenger; when their Messenger comes, the matter will be judged between them with justice, and they will not be wronged.

There are two kinds of sins that could occur. One is sin against God, and the other is sin against creation. If we sin against God, it is entirely within God’s prerogative to forgive us. If we sin against humanity, more than one thing could occur. 1) He whom I sinned against could forgive me for my crime; hence, God, in turn, forgives me or 2) God could forgive me for my crime and then recompense the victim in order to ensure overall justice or 3) Neither the person nor God forgive me for my crime; thus, I incur the wrath of God either in this world or the next.

God could punish me in this life for my crimes without punishing me in hell. For example, He could punish me by inflicting me with trials in this life. He could punish me in the grave. He could punish me and wipe out my sins by making me feel pain when the angel of death is pulling out my soul. He could temporarily punish me in hell for any sins that I committed.

This doesn’t contradict God being All-Merciful. We don’t define All-Just and All-Merciful as meaning that God should be fully just and fully merciful with a human being. Rather, when we say that God is All-Merciful or All-Just we mean to say that His ability to exercise these two attributes is infinitely vast, but whether He decides to exercise them is entirely up to His will that is in accordance with His nature.

However, when it comes to Christianity, we see that an innocent man Jesus is tortured and bears the sins of the guilty. Not only does this contradict the universal law that only the guilty must be punished, but it also seems to contradict what the following passage in the Old Testament says from

Deuteronomy 24:16

The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children for the fathers, but every one shall die for his own sin

The passage states that every single person should die for his own sin and not someone else doing it for you.

I find this to be theologically problematic, for it shows that God is not being just on the guilty and definitely not being merciful with the innocent.

How Are We Saved?

Islam makes it clear that one will enter paradise based on his faith and good works. Surah 2, ayah 25 states:

And give glad tidings to those who believe and do righteous good deeds, that for them will be Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise).

Without faith, Allah will not accept those good deeds that one has done, as He states in Surah 9, verse 17.

When I say that one must have faith, one must have faith in six specific things.

1)     Belief in Allah as the only true God

2)     Belief in the angels

3)     Belief in all the revelations that God has sent

4)     Belief in all the of the Messengers that God has sent

5)     Belief in the Day of Judgment

6)     Belief in predestination.

It is essential that the Muslim believes in all six of these things in order to make sure that his or her heart is purified because Allah says in Surah 26, ayahs 88-89:

The Day where neither wealth nor sons will avail. Except him who brings to Allâh a clean heart [clean from Shirk (polytheism) and Nifâq (hypocrisy)].

Also, the Muslim must recognize and be aware that it is ultimately only by Allah’s mercy that one will enter paradise:

Sahih al-Bukhari

Volume 8, Book 76, Number 474

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,

“Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately, and receive good news because one’s good deeds will NOT make him enter Paradise.” They asked, “Even you, O Allah’s Apostle?” He said, “Even I, unless and until Allah bestows His pardon and Mercy on me.”

So here we see that it’s not by one’s good deeds that one will enter paradise but by Allah’s mercy. However, Allah has commanded us to do good deeds, and we won’t be qualified to receive His mercy unless we obey His commands.

Now when it comes to Christianity, there doesn’t seem to be a consensus amongst Christians regarding this crucial point. The Roman Catholics would say like what the Muslims say, and that is that salvation is achieved by both faith and works. However, the Protestants take a different stance and say that salvation is only by faith alone and that this is the kind of faith that manifests itself and bears the fruit of good works.

I personally tend to agree more with the Roman Catholics on this point since it appears that the Old Testament, the Biblical Jesus, and his half-brother James believed and taught such a doctrine.

Ezekiel 18:21-22

21 “But if a wicked man turns away from all the sins he has committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die.

22

None of the offenses he has committed will be remembered against him. Because of the righteous things he has done, he will

Matthew 19:16-21

    16Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

    17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.”

    18 “Which ones?” the man inquired.

   Jesus replied,” ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19honor your father and mother,’ [d] and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ [e]"

    20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

    21Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

James 2:20-26

20You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.  25In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Can We Be Certain That We Are Saved?

Allah states in Surah 9, ayah 72:

Allah has promised to the believers -men and women, - Gardens under which rivers flow to dwell therein forever, and beautiful mansions in Gardens of ‘Adn (Eden Paradise). But the greatest bliss is the Good Pleasure of Allah. That is the supreme success.

Allah states in Surah 3, ayah 9

Verily, Allah never breaks His Promise

Now, if you ask the Muslim, “are you going to paradise?” he is going to say to you, “if Allah wills” (inshallah). The well-informed Muslim is not going to tell you, “Yes, I am going paradise for sure.” No, the Muslim hopes and prays that he will end up in paradise. It’s not because the Muslim is worried whether Allah will keep His promise, for as we have seen, Allah does not break His promise. Rather, it is because the Muslim is not sure whether he would continue remaining on the straight path and die as a Muslim.

As for Christians, well, again, there is no consensus regarding this matter.

If you are a Calvinist, you would adhere to the doctrine of the preservation of saints, which basically states that once you’re a Christian, you’re always a Christian. Once the Holy Spirit dwells in you, it will never leave. But if you happen to be following the Arminian school of thought, you would take a different stance and take a position similar to what Muslims take, which is the doctrine of conditional preservation of the saints, which states that there must be a condition for one to be saved and it is possible for one to lose that status.

One verse that Christians who adhere to the conditional preservation of saints often appeal to is the following:

Hebrews 6:4-8

“For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame. For ground that drinks the rain which often falls upon it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.”

Uncertainty is a motivational factor to make you work harder in being a better person. Imagine you join a university, and you are absolutely guaranteed that you will pass all your subjects no matter what you do. It would make no difference whatsoever if you study or not, you are still guaranteed your degree. If that is the case, would any students study just for the sake of studying? Not too many, I suppose.

If someone claims certainty that he will go to heaven, then this could lead to some problems. For example, if you are absolutely certain that you are going to paradise, why should you fear God? 1 Peter 2:17 states:

Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.

Why should we fear God if we know for a fact that we are going to paradise? Why should we fear God anyways? Well, the Bible states:

Exodus 20:20

Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”

So here we see that the reason why we should fear God is so that it could be a motivation for us to stop sinning. Well, why should we stop sinning? Well, it’s to avoid God’s wrath, but if the Christian already avoids God’s wrath by believing in and accepting what Jesus supposedly did on the cross, then the Christian doesn’t have to worry about God’s wrath anymore. And if he doesn’t have to worry about God’s wrath anymore because he is certain that he is going to paradise, then why fear God as the New Testament instructs him to do?

Conclusion

Allah is the Creator of the Universe, and He is a magnificent being whose amazing transcendence did not prevent Him from being merciful to us. Despite His amazing power and unquestionable authority, He still establishes justice. Despite His self-sufficiency, He still offers His love to us so that we may be in a relationship with him. Allah’s oneness is simple to understand and easy to accept.

Allah commands the believer in Surah 3, ayah 64, to say to the Christians and Jews:

O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians): Come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but Allah, and that we associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allah. Then, if they turn away, say: “Bear witness that we are Muslims.

I would like to invite you all to come and worship Allah alone and not associate any partners with Him.

Thank you very much.