“


ISLAM IS A SYSTEM OF WORKS. TO ATTAIN SALVATION, ONE HAS TO PERFORM DAILY RITUALS. YET, SALVATION IS NOT A GUARANTEE UNTIL THE FINAL JUDGMENT.”


is spoken of in positive terms and, on the other, it disavows the deity and sonship of Christ, the Crucifixion, and the doc- trine of the Trinity.


i k fi iti t


Much like Hinduism, Islam is a system of works. To attain salvation, one has to perform daily rituals as taught in the five pillars of Islam—profession of faith, prayers, fasting, giving alms, and pilgrim- age to Mecca. Yet, salvation is not a guar- antee until the final judgment.


Christianity and the Bible


The Bible is a collection of 66 books, written by at least 40 different authors in three languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) and in three continents (Africa, Asia, and Europe) spanning 1,500 years. Yet it passes the test of internal consisten- cy in its central theme: the redemption of God’s creation (cf. Romans 8:18-25). The Bible adequately answers the critical questions that relate to our ori- gins, the meaning for our existence, the question of our mortality, and our ultimate destiny. Beyond these ques- tions, Christianity is rooted in history, the human-divine story from Creation to consummation recorded in the pages of the Old and the New Testaments. Augus- tine, describing the relationship between the two Testaments, said, “The New is concealed in the Old; the Old is revealed in the New.”


In the Bible, God expresses His love for humankind through His interaction with His chosen people, Israel. However, Israel’s election and existence is not an end in itself. Through Israel, God chooses to stretch out His hand to every nation (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6). Israel’s election in the Old Testament is an anticipation of a


more vulnerable act when God takes on humanity and comes to live among us in the person of Jesus Christ (Galatians 4:4). The writer to the Hebrews said, “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in vari- ous ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (1:1-3 NIV). The apostle John declared, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14 NIV).


The belief that Jesus is God in human form is central to Christian theology. In the words of the apostle Paul, “God


“


cannot reveal Himself to humankind. Hinduism espouses an immanent (inti- mate) god who is accessible in all seasons and for all occasions. In Christianity, however, we witness the beautiful coales- cence of transcendence and immanence. In Christianity the transcendent God (the ultimate) becomes immanent God (inti- mate) in the person of Jesus Christ.


Jesus: The Messenger and the Message


For Muslims, God’s final revelation is contained in the Koran, whereas in Christianity God’s final revelation is expressed most clearly in a living per- son, Jesus Christ, who was both human and divine. For Muslims, Muhammad is God’s final prophet and messenger; for Christians, Jesus is both the messenger and the message!


The Christian Scriptures instill con- fidence regarding our destiny because


THE BIBLE ADEQUATELY ANSWERS THE CRITICAL QUESTIONS THAT RELATE TO OUR ORIGINS, THE MEANING FOR OUR EXISTENCE, THE QUESTION OF OUR MORTALITY, AND OUR ULTIMATE DESTINY.”


was reconciling the world to himself in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:19 NIV). There- fore, salvation for all of humanity is man- ifested in and through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the living Word and is revealed as such by the Scriptures. The Bible, in the words of theologian Karl Barth, is the “document of the manifestation of the Word of God in the person of Jesus Christ” (Dogmatics in Outline).


ili h ld hi


Islam espouses a transcendent (ulti- mate) God who cannot be known and


“[God] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good plea- sure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ” (Ephesians 1:9-10 NIV).


Dr. Edley Moodley is director of the intercultural studies program at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee.


EVANGEL • AUG 2010 21


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