We’ve heard President Bush say it. We’ve heard pundits say it. We’ve even heard Christian pastors say it . . . the God of the Jews, Christians, and Muslims is one and the same. But is this a true statement? Let’s look at a bit of the history.
The Jews have been around since Abraham, the Christians since the Year One, and the Muslims since around 600 AD. Do they, as a group, represent merely different ways of worshiping the one true God? Well . . . . not exactly.
Judaism has always looked forward to a messiah. They simply don’t recognize Jesus as Him. They worship YHWH (Yahweh), sometimes pronounced “Jehovah.”
Christians worship the God of the Jews. We also believe that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah and the Messiah of the whole world. We believe that Jesus is the Son of YHWH and that He is both fully human and fully divine. We also believe in the Holy Spirit of God as the third person of the Godhead or trinity. We believe that God is One, expressed in three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Muslims believe in Allah. Their holy book, the Koran (Quran), teaches that Allah has no son nor any offspring. The Koran does not mention the Holy Spirit (so far as I can recall.) Muslims are strict monotheists. To their minds, the Christian belief in God as three in one, or the trinity, constitutes polytheism, or belief in multiple gods.
So the answer I would give is that yes, Christians do worship the God of the Jews, YHWH, and also believe that the promised Messiah has come in the person of Jesus Christ, and that Jesus, when He was raised from the dead, imparted the Holy Spirit to those who believe in Him.
However, though Mohammad insisted that Allah was the same as the God worshiped by Jews and Christians, he also insisted that Allah had no son. (He did briefly attribute three daughters to Allah, however–pagan deities who had been recognized as the daughters of an idol that was named Allah. He later decided that this was not true and rescinded this statement from the record of his revelations. It is one of the “Satanic Verses” of which you may have heard.)
Since Muhammad’s god is so different in nature and personality from the God of the Jews and of the Christians, and since Muhammad’s god is above having a son, he is obviously not the same as the God worshiped by Jews and Christians. The Jews are looking for the Son, and the Christians have found Him. The Muslims say their god cannot and would not have a son. Allah is not the same as YHWH.
If the god of the Muslims has not, and does not intend to send His Son as Messiah, then he is not YHWH, who has promised to do this very thing and, in the eyes of Christians, has already done it.
This alone is sufficient to prove that YHWH and Allah are not one and the same person. There are many more differences between them, however, and in my next post I will talk about some of these differences.
Grace and Peace, Cindy
June 1, 2009 at 11:12 pm
Cindy! Jews don’t acknowledge that Jesus is God or Son of God
Cindyinsd says:
The God of the Jews, Christians, and Muslims is one and the same; Christians worship the God of the Jews.
Paarsurrey says:
Generally God is understood as Creator of the Universe; in that sense God of the Hindus, Zoroastrians, Jews, Christians and Muslims is ONE. This is a common belief as against those who say there is no Creator God; I mean the Atheists and Agnostics.
Cindy, you have mentioned that “Christians worship the God of the Jews”; this is your statement, but I think Jews won’t own you in this.
They don’t acknowledge that Jesus is God or Son of God; so Jews would deny that they worship Jesus, the god of the Christians or their God and the God of the Christians is the same in this sense.
I would like a Jew to comments on the concept of our friend cindyinsd as mentioned by me above.
In my opinion, a Jew would say that Jewish God YHWH and the Muslim God Allah is the same rather than to say that Jewish God and the Christian God Jesus is the same.
I love Jesus and Mary as I do love Moses and his mother.
Thanks
I am an Ahmadi peaceful Muslim
June 2, 2009 at 10:09 am
Dear Paar,
Thank you for commenting. Your objection tells me that you do not understand what I said. The Jews do not worship Jesus, but His Father, YHWH. Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Son of God. The Jews do look forward to God’s sending His Son. The following Psalm is a Messianic prophecy given by King David:
Psa 2:1 Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans?
Psa 2:2 The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the LORD and against His anointed one.
Psa 2:3 “Let us break their chains,” they cry, “and free ourselves from slavery to God.”
Psa 2:4 But the One who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them.
Psa 2:5 Then in anger He rebukes them, terrifying them with His fierce fury.
Psa 2:6 For the Lord declares, “I have placed My chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, on My holy mountain.”
Psa 2:7 The king proclaims the LORD’s decree: “The LORD said to me, ‘You are My son. Today I have become your Father.
Psa 2:8 Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession.
Psa 2:9 You will break them with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.’”
Psa 2:10 Now then, you kings, act wisely! Be warned, you rulers of the earth!
Psa 2:11 Serve the LORD with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Psa 2:12 Submit to God’s royal son, or He will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities—for His anger flares up in an instant. But what joy for all who take refuge in him!
This Psalm was only partially fulfilled in King David. David was a “type” or “foreshadowing” of the promised Messiah. Christians recognize this Messiah as Jesus. Jews (unless they are Messianic Jews) do not.
I hope this answers your question.
God bless, Cindy
June 2, 2009 at 10:16 am
Paar, in reading my comment above, I think you may still be confused as to what I am saying.
Christians worship God as YHWH. We see YHWH as having three expressions: The Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. All three of these expressions are mentioned in the Old Testament. At times the Son is referred to by different names, but He is mentioned and promised often. He is, in fact, the entire focus of the Old Testament.
It is in that sense, then, that I say that Christians worship the God of the Jews.
God bless, Cindy
June 2, 2009 at 11:44 am
This is an excellent post. And a very necessary one. I too have been frustrated with the assertion that Allah and YHWH are one in the same. I think your argument is right on. Thank you!
June 3, 2009 at 10:12 am
Thanks, Sue–yes, this frustrates me as well. YHWH and Allah are not two names for the same person (as Ophrah seems to want us to believe)
Thanks for reading!
God bless, Cindy
June 2, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Cindy,
My impression of Jewish beliefs is the same as Paar’s, that they – like Muslims – believe that God does not and would not have a son. Not in the sense that Christians believe that God has a Son, anyway.
I remember from Bible school that the word “son” in the Old Testament has a broader range of meanings than it does in English. For instance, it can mean “someone with the characteristics of,” as in “son of righteousness.” So “son of God” does not necessarily mean someone who is divine, but can refer to having other characteristics like God.
I don’t know how Jews interpret Psalm 2, but I’m pretty sure they don’t think God is talking to the kind of divine Son that Christians interpret it to mean.
June 3, 2009 at 7:16 am
Hi, Pauline
It’s nice to see you here. I didn’t know you were still reading.
Since you’re more widely read than I, I suppose it would be wise of me to concede the point to you and Paar. The Jews certainly weren’t expecting someone like Jesus, though the OT is generous (and in some cases amazingly specific) in its prophecies.
Nevertheless, Christians (however Jews may feel about it) do believe we are worshiping the same God as the Jews, and Jews do still wait for their Messiah, whether or not they expect to see Him as the literal Son of God. (I say this for Paar’s sake, not yours, though he probably knows this as much as you do).
Love, Cindy
June 2, 2009 at 11:01 pm
Hi friend Pauline
I am with Pauline; the Catholics Protestants usually take meaning which are not there really in the text of the Torah, or in the context of the Torah. They take a superficial or imaginary meaning; which even Jesus never explicity talked about.
Now, this Son of God business; which the Catholics and Protestants have corrupted, could be restored from its antonym the Son of the Satan or Son of the Devil.
I quote here from John 8:44
John 8:
39 They answered, and said to him: Abraham is our father. Jesus saith to them: If you be the children of Abraham, do the works of Abraham. 40 But now you seek to kill me, a man who have spoken the truth to you, which I have heard of God. This Abraham did not.
41 You do the works of your father. They said therefore to him: We are not born of fornication: we have one Father, even God. 42 Jesus therefore said to them: If God were your Father, you would indeed love me. For from God I proceeded, and came; for I came not of myself, but he sent me: 43 Why do you not know my speech? Because you cannot hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he stood not in the truth; because truth is not in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof. 45 But if I say the truth, you believe me not.
46 Which of you shall convince me of sin? If I say the truth to you, why do you not believe me? 47 He that is of God, heareth the words of God. Therefore you hear them not, because you are not of God. 48 The Jews therefore answered, and said to him: Do not we say well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?
http://www.drbo.org/chapter/50008.htm
So Jesus spoke in symbolicism. He explained the sense when he used to say Jews as Son of Devil, as they were evil persons; and called himseld Son of God, a righteous person Messenger of God.
The Catholics Protestants take a corrupted, literal and physical meaning so Jesus is right; they should rectify their concepts and follow Jesus; instead of following the Cunning Paul or the sinful scribes.
I would like some Jew to express here if, they believe Jesus as God; if they don’t believe Jesus as God; then it is only a wishful thinking of the Catholics and Protestants that their and Jews God is the same.
Nevertheless, I respect your faith; you could believe whatever you are convinced with; peace.
I love Jesus and Mary as described in Quran.
Thanks
I am an Ahmadi peaceful Muslim
June 3, 2009 at 9:57 am
Hi, Paar
Sorry–some of the old Rabbis did actually expect the Messiah to be God’s Son, but according to Pauline, this wasn’t the prevailing view, so I owe you an apology on that one. She knows more about this than I do, and apparently, so do you.
As to whether Jews believe that Jesus is God, I don’t think you are reading what I am saying. Please read the following:
Jews do not worship Jesus. They do not believe that He is God, the Son of God, or the Messiah.
There is no point of disagreement here. I agree with you.
My point is that Christians do accept the Old Testament, as is, as truth. We accept it as divinely inspired, as Holy Writ. We accept YHWH as presented in the Jewish scriptures. We do not believe the Torah (which is substantially the same as the Old Testament) is corrupted. We accept Judaism right up to the birth of Jesus. This is our point of departure.
Therefore, a Jew who decides that Jesus is the Messiah does not need to renounce his Jewish religion as taught in the Torah. He will be renouncing everything following the birth of Christ in that he will be taking off in the same direction as the Christians have done, but he will most likely still consider himself to be a Jew.
He will be renouncing many Jewish teachings that followed the birth of Christ, or that are mere commentaries on the Torah, but he will not be renouncing his foundational religion–that is to say, Abraham and Moses and the rest of the prophets.
Islam presents a different god. Allah is never referred to as the Father, as YHWH is often referred to in the Old Testament. Allah never promises to take on the sins of the world, as YHWH promises. See the following from the writings of the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah:
Isa 53:4 Yet it was our weaknesses He carried; it was our sorrows that weighed Him down. And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for His own sins!
Isa 53:5 But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.
Isa 53:6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on Him the sins of us all.
Isa 53:7 He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet He never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, He did not open His mouth.
Isa 53:8 Unjustly condemned, He was led away. No one cared that He died without descendants, that His life was cut short in midstream. But He was struck down for the rebellion of My people.
Isa 53:9 He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But He was buried like a criminal; He was put in a rich man’s grave.
Isa 53:10 But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush Him and cause Him grief. Yet when His life is made an offering for sin, He will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD’s good plan will prosper in His hands.
Isa 53:11 When He sees all that is accomplished by His anguish, He will be satisfied. And because of His experience, My righteous Servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for He will bear all their sins.
Isa 53:12 I will give Him the honors of a victorious soldier, because He exposed Himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.
There are many differences besides these, but to list them all is not necessary. Allah and YHWH are entirely different persons.
I, as a Christ follower, tend to focus on differences that might not apply to the Jewish understanding of YHWH, but there are plenty of characteristics of YHWH described in the Old Testament that are absolutely not true of Allah as described in the Quran. They are two different persons.
Some Muslims insist that YHWH and Allah are the same. Some believe as I do, that they are not the same. I don’t think you’ve said what you believe on this, Paar.
God be with you and bless you always,
Cindy
July 4, 2009 at 6:52 am
The answer above, that the God of Islam is different from the God of Christianity, and Islam as a religion came after Christianity, any person think about this option will believes that there are “two gods”, and if this is true, this means that there are two possibilities:
1. The first possibility that the God of Islam is stronger than the God of Christianity because he allowed to him to spread Islam to the whole universe , and became the religion for more than one billion and five hundred million people.
2. That the death of Christ, as Nietzsche said, that the Christian god is dead, leaving much space for the God of Islam to control the planet.
What is this nonsense? You should know that the one, who created the heavens and the earth, and the created Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, and the creation of all human beings, is only one creator who have no partners.
And, if Islam god is different, why he sent high authentication certificate for Maria “ mother of Jesus” in Quran, and he said that she is Cleanse , chaste and pure. And he gave here name of “Sora” in Quran which is not given to the mother of Muhammad?!! why “god number two” made real & full defense for Maria “mother of the first god”?!
What is going one?!!
July 4, 2009 at 10:32 am
Hi, Jalal
1. No, I don’t believe there are two Gods, but there are many called gods who are not. And no, Allah is not stronger than YHWH although it may seem to men, looking at things from our own foolish perspective, that this is so based on Muhammad’s conquest of his world. Alexander did the same. What about his gods? Or the gods of Sumer? Or the Babylonians? Or the Medes and the Persians? Or the Romans? Or even the Roman Catholic Church (which was not following the teachings of Christ, and for whose sins I must apologize to you.) All of these conquered their known worlds and held the territory for varying lengths of time–some amazingly long. World conquest in the flesh means nothing. God’s ways are not our ways.
2. Jesus did die, and during the time He was dead, conquered death, Hell, and the grave, rose from the grave and was seen by more than 500 people as He ascended into Heaven.
This doesn’t answer all your points, Jalal, but the bit about Mary is really irrelevant. Muhammad can say whatever he likes. My point here is merely that Allah and YHWH are not the same–whether one is fictitious or even a “pretender to the throne” is up to you to decide.
July 28, 2009 at 2:41 am
My friend, Thank you for your answer, which you said not completed, and it seems that the argument and logic, not working, if it is related to the question of religions, but how the simple person believes ??
you have the divine message, clear and convincing, the details indicate that it is not created by human beings, moral teachings 100% , somewhat difficult in the practice like pray and fasting, but still make sense to pray for one GOD only. Now if this religion is the last messages came from heaven, with full support and encouragement to spread to the whole universe, do you think this terms is fit to Islam? because Islam achieved all this terms. Now what do you think – for the simple human, he must read the full history or just check for the last virgin & fresh of God’s messages?!!
If you say no, I have to read carefully the whole history , I will say okay. The first messages came from heaven is Ibrahim message, it is came before the( Jews , Christian and Islam), and before the (Alexander , Sumer, Babylonians, Medes ,Persians and Romans), ( as you know) , and Ibrahim message is an invitation to believe and pray for one God.
What else?!
For me and simple peoples we believe and pray for one God.
Its hard little bit, but we think the one who create us , and create all good and perfect things deserve from us some efforts.
Are you agree?!
July 28, 2009 at 4:01 am
Hi friends
With the advent of the Second Coming 1835-1908, the Promised Messiah, the Imam Mahdi; Islam and all other revealed religions stand revived and hence all the radicals, extremists and mythical denomination stand exposed and irrelevant. Religious heroes of all the revealed religions; Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, Jesus and of course Muhammad-, the Chief of all the Messengers Prophets, were all truthful and appointed by the Creator, God Allah YHWH and hence their revelations were truthful in origing. Quran is secure and the only uncorrupted Word of God Allah YHWH.
All human beings are just like a family; all must be loved and never to be hated.
Thanks
I am an Ahmadi peaceful Muslim
Quran is secure and the only uncorrupted Word of God Allah YHWH
July 28, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Hi, Paar
I’m afraid I don’t understand your comment. I’m not trying to be dense, but this just doesn’t make sense to me at all. The bit about loving one another is clear enough. Jesus said:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whoever believes on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
So yes, that bit I understand, but the rest of your comment is a mystery to me.
So tell me your history. On what do you base your confidence that the Quran is the uncorrupted word of God? And if the world of God cannot be corrupted, then the bible is not corrupted, for Muhammad spoke of it as having been the word of God.
May God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ bless you with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places.
Cindy
July 28, 2009 at 9:47 pm
Hi, Jalal
Understanding one another is difficult for us, as English is not your first language. From reading what you have said, I think you did not understand my reply. And I understand very little of your latest response. I have read through it three times and I cannot figure out what you are trying to say.
I am sorry, but I cannot respond.
God bless and keep you,
Cindy
September 20, 2009 at 4:05 am
If anything the muslims and the jews agree more. The jews do not believe in a “son” for God, in fact, they don’t believe that God has any form and they are forbidden to imagine it or even say His name. Their messiah is not God’s son.
The Thirteen Articles of Maimonides
1. God exists
2. God is one and unique
3. God is incorporeal
4. God is eternal
5. Prayer is to God only.
6. The prophets spoke truth.
7. Moses was the greatest of the prophets.
8. The Written and Oral Torah were given to Moses.
9. There will be no other Torah.
10. God knows the thoughts and deeds of men.
11. God will reward the good and punish the wicked.
12. The Messiah will come.
13. The dead will be resurrected.
September 21, 2009 at 11:56 pm
Hi, Lauren
I allowed myself to be pulled away from my point here. I agree with you that the Jews do not see the God they worship as the same God the Father, Son & Holy Spirit worshiped by Christians. Nevertheless, Christians do see it this way–at least we do when we’re well-read in our own scriptures, which include both the old and new testaments.
This blog is written from a Christian world view and is written primarily for a Christian audience. It’s not my purpose to convince anyone against their will to believe what I believe. My goal here was to point out to followers of Jesus who may not be clear on the subject that Allah is a far different person from Yahweh.
1. Agreed
2. Agreed
3. Agreed . . . up until the point that He sent His Son (not conceived in the manner of men, but His eternal Son) to earth to die as a man so that men could be redeemed. Jesus had to become a man for several reasons in order to accomplish this goal, but to enumerate those reasons is beyond the scope of this post.
4. Agreed
5. Agreed
6. Agreed–that is to say, the prophets who spoke the true word of God. There were and are false prophets, however. These prophesied lies.
7. Agreed–until the coming of John the Baptist.
8. Agreed. And the prophetic books were given to the prophets, and the Psalms were given to David and others, and the later historic books were records kept by the scribes, and Song and Ecclesiastes were given to Solomon.
9. Agreed. The New Covenant is not the Law. It is the New Covenant in Jesus’ blood, wherein He has paid the price we were helpless to pay.
10. Agreed
11. Agreed, and as Jesus said, there is no one good but God. Which is why we need His intervention if we are to be saved and reconciled to God.
12. Agreed. And the Messiah has come. And soon will come again.
13. Agreed. And Jesus is the first-born from the dead as He was already resurrected. In scripture, death has a physical and a spiritual meaning. In that His body died, He died as men do. His spirit, however, did not cease to exist even as the spirits of men do not cease to exist. In that He was, for the first (and only) time in eternity separated from His Father, He died spiritually, for spiritual death IS separation from God. He did all this so that we, who are supernaturally placed in Him in His death, might also die and be raised from death to live in newness of life in Him.
Sorry if this is a little unclear to you, Lauren. I’ve no idea of your background and whether this will make sense to you. Sometimes things are too much to explain in this necessarily short format, and I’ve gone on too long already.
God bless, and thanks for reading and commenting.