Muslims - Christians: Do we have the same God?

Christians and Muslims: do we have the same God? This question is frequently asked in all Christian circles, and many think that it is the case. To affirm that we all have the same God is politically correct. It shows openness and tolerance to other religions to stop pretending that there is only one truth. Behind this affirmation is also the will to defuse any source of conflict between religions. "We all have the same God" has become one of the most religiously correct affirmations, at least in a western world wishing to do well and overwhelmed with guilt.

What about the Muslims themselves? Are there many who think that Allah is the same as the God of the Christians? This question push for reflection. In a country like Pakistan, which applies the rules of the sharia (Islamic law), such an affirmation could be perceived as serious blasphemy and therefore, liable to a prison or even a death sentence. In the Koran, the worst sin (shirk) is to associate another person to God. Thus the holy book of the Muslims repeats many times that God could not have a son. What is more, if the Koran talks about Jesus as a prophet, it clearly mentions that he did not die on a cross.

For a Christian, Jesus is the Son of God, the way, the truth and the life – the visible image of the invisible God – the only one through whom we have access to the Father. How then would it be possible to say that Allah and The God of Jesus Christ are one and same God? Allah and God do have common attributes, but how could God repudiate his own words and reveal himself to believers of another religion without his Son and without the work accomplished on the cross? Would Jesus have been crucified for Christians only? The Bible clearly says that the message of the cross is intended for all men, that there is only one God, and one mediator between God and men (1 Tim. 2: 4-6).

Should we be ashamed of confirming what the Bible says? Certainly not, as long as it is done with gentleness and respect. Besides, Christians will gain in credibility in their dialogue with believers of another religion, especially Muslims. For one of the primary conditions for dialogue is to establish firmly one’s identity. From then on, we can discuss serenely what divides us and what unites us.

The attachment to certain moral values certainly is one of the points where Christians and Muslims can find a common ground. Referring to God in the way we lead our life is also an element that can be shared, even if it is applied in a different way.

Jews and Christians as well as Muslims see in God the creator of all things. But where Islam differs is that Allah did not create man and woman in his image, as did the God of the Jews and the Christians. Allah does not see his likeness in man. Some Muslim theologians even think that, being so exalted, he could not suffer for man. On the contrary, the God of the Christians incarnated himself in Jesus Christ, the suffering Servant. In Him, we have a personal relationship with God. He has chosen us as ambassadors and through his Holy Spirit, we can affirm that Christ is the Lord of all men.

The thousands of Iranians who have found hope and salvation in Christ these last years are grateful to those who brought them a Gospel without ambiguity, sometimes risking their life.