Conversation with Muslims about Christ

 

Names and Titles of Christ in the Qur`an and the Bible

 

How Can we use what the Qur`an says about Christ

 

 

 

Quiz:

 

1. How many names, titles and attributes of Christ can be found in the Bible and how

    many in the Qur¡¦an?

    250 times in the Bible and 25 times in the Qur¡¦an.

 

 

2. What does the name ¡¦Isa mean to Muslims and how often does this name occur in the

    Qur¡¦an? Why do foreign missionaries use this name frequently while Arab Christians 

    avoid using it? Why is ¡¦Isa not the same as Jesus? How long should we use the name

    ¡¦Isa in our talks with Muslims until we guide them to the real Jesus?

 

To Muslim, ¡¥Isa is not the same Jesus, as they stripped of His divinity, to them He did not die on the cross. ¡¥Isa appears 25 times in Qur¡¦an. Foreign missionaries use this name frequently so that Muslims understand they are referring to Jesus and they try to put in the true meanings of Jesus in Bible sense.

 

Arab Christians avoid using it is because the root word of ¡¥Isa in Arab means the ¡¥semen of stallion¡¦, a kind of poison. According to some African customs, this is a way of cursing a person when name of the person only been used without the first and last letter. 

 

We ought to pray for wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit in our talks to Muslims when and how to show them the full meaning of the name of Jesus.

 

 

3. How often does the title Christ (al-Masih) appear in the Qur¡¦an? What does this title

    mean to a Muslim and what to a Christian? How did Christ himself explain this title in

    the Gospel?

 

The title Christ (al-Masih) appears 11 times in al-Qur¡¦an. This title means ¡§ to wipe and anoint¡¨ to Muslims. To Christians, Jesus is the Anointed One. He is our king of hearts in the present, the High priest who brings us to God and the Prophet as the word of God personified.

 

In Lukes 4:18-19, He revealed Himself as the unity of the Holy Trinity as ¡§ The Lord, the Spirit and Himself ¡¨, and anointed by the Spirit in order to proclaim the good news to the ¡§ down-trodden ¡¨, that their broken hearts shall be mended.

 

 

4. What is the content of the title messenger or ambassador (rasul) as used in the Qur¡¦an

    for Christ? Why did Muhammad reject the titles ¡¥King¡¦, and ¡¥Lord¡¦ for Christ, in spite

    of his political misunderstanding of Christ¡¦s coming?

 

The ambassador of Allah stands higher in the Qur¡¦an than a prophet. He proclaimed the revelation of his Lord precisely and carried out these divine laws, with authority.

 

Muhammad rejected the titles ¡§ King ¡¨ and ¡§ Lord ¡¨ for Christ because he never accept a human being as Lord. Muhammad was not of the truth, hence he could not understand what Jesus meaned  He is the King and His kingdom is not of the world (John 18:36-37).

 

 

5. Why can the Son of Mary in Islam never be the Son of Allah? How is it possible for

    Muslims to confess the virgin birth of Christ from Mary and at the same time bluntly

    reject His divinity?

 

The ¡§Son of Mary¡¨ never be the Son of Allah in Islam because Muhammad said that ¡¥Isa was not begotten by the spirit of Allah in Mary but only created. Muslims reject His divinity because they have an anti-Christian spirit.

 

 

6. Which 2 words in the Nicene Creed succinctly mark the basic difference between

    Islam and Christianity in their respective understandings of Christ?

    Not created.

 

 

7. Why did Christ call Himself the Son of Man 80 times in the four gospels while He

    rarely and mostly in a covert manner confessed that He is the Son of God?

 

Christ called Himself the Son of Man was to testify to His lowliness, His humility, His meekness, His glory and His great power besides fulfilling the prophecy in the Book of Daniel 7:13-14.

 

 

8. What does a Muslim think or imagine when he reads in the Qur¡¦an that Christ is a

    Word from Allah or his Word? With which Biblical meanings can these Qur¡¦anic titles

    be filled?

 

A Muslim understands Christ as a ¡¥created¡¦ Word from Allah without the real presence of the Most High. These Qur¡¦anic titles be filled by explaining in Christ all the attributes and faculties of God are present.

 

 

9. Why did Muhammad dare call Christ a walking Spirit from Allah who descended from

    him and ascended back to him?

 

Muhammad called Christ a walking Spirit from Allah because he said Christ had a spirited body through Sublime, so after His earthly life, He ascended back to Allah.

 

 

10. Why is it impossible for the Holy Spirit to exist in Islam as He is present in the

      Gospel?

 

This is because they do not recognized Holy Spirit and rejected His work among them.

 

 

11. How can we use the Qur¡¦anic term zakiy (pure) for ¡¥Isa, meaning that he was without

      blemish and sinless from childhood? What could we explain to Muslims with the help

      of this term?

 

We can use the Qur¡¦an term zakiy for ¡¥Isa since the Qur¡¦an agreed that ¡¥Isa was born without sin and holy, He is under the special protection of Allah from the influence of Satan (Sura Maryam 19:19, Sura Al¡¦Imran 3;36).

 

With the help of this term, we can show how wonderful Jesus is, hence he alone we should worship. The reason Christ has risen from the dead is because He is without sin.

 

 

12. What does it mean for our witness among Muslims that the Qur¡¦anic ¡¥Isa is the only

      male Ayotollah appointed by Allah in world history?

 

Christ is greater than Muhammad for He is the true and only Ayatollah given this title from God to no more else.

 

We should have a good testimony life for Christ so that Muslims can see God through us. Christ is the image (Ayotallah) of God, so are we should be the image of Christ since He already taken our sins.

 

 

13. Which avenue does the Qur¡¦an open for us by revealing that Christ is an incarnation

      of the mercy of Allah?

 

Christ is an incarnation of the mercy of Allah because He performed miracles to deliver people from sickness, dead and so on.

 

 

14. How good is Christ in the Qur¡¦an since Muhammad described him as one of the good

      ones? How can we show a Muslim that the Son of Mary is as good as God?

 

Muhammad described Christ as one of the good ones  not being without sin, but living as a god-fearing man.

 

Jesus in the Bible taught us being good is not in religious-humanistic sense but the perfect love of God is the only measure for a man¡¦s being good. All human being have shortcomings except Jesus. He is god in the flesh.

 

 

15. What does the Qur¡¦an mean when it says that ¡¥Isa was righteous towards his mother?

      Is there a way to point to the righteousness of God using this term?

 

Isa was righteous towards his mother means He cared for His mother. This term reveal Jesus is the justifier himself, the holiness of God personified.

 

 

16. How can we transform the negative sound of the Qur¡¦anic expression that Christ is

      neither a miserable person nor a brutal superman and change this phrase into a

      positive statement of the Gospel?

 

Christ is meek and humble in heart. He did not carry out his own desires by force. He preferred to die for his enemies, rather than to kill them. Christ is the man of love, full of mercy and compassion. He helped the miserable and the sick and did not turn first to the rich and domineering.

 

17. What does the Qur¡¦anic testimony about ¡¥Isa mean, when described as being blessed

      wherever he will be, on earth as in heaven?

 

It means Jesus answered the prayers to those who come before Him, even helaed a helped Muslim in their misery.

 

18. Why did Muhammad summarize his testimonies about Christ in the one statement

      that Christ is like Adam? What is wrong in this claim compared with other Qur¡¦anic

      statements about ¡¥Isa?

 

Muhammad summarized Christ is like Adam so as to point out His birth is not unique, like Adam born without a father, and created by a word of Allah. This claim is wrong compared with other Qur¡¦anic statement because the Qur¡¦an admitted Jesus was not created from dust but was generated by the Spirit of Allah in Mary. Christ is sinless, He is not expelled from God but rather be with God.

 

 

19. How can we fill the Qur¡¦anic title for Christ ¡§ Slave of Allah ¡¨ (Abdullah) with the

      full Gospel? Where in the Bible is Jesus called the Slave (or Servant) of the Lord?

 

Jesus is made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a slave. He humbled himself and become obedient to the point of death, even death of the cross ( Isaiah 40-66 and Phil 2:7-11 ).

 

 

20. Why is ¡¥Isa in the Qur¡¦an not only one of the prophets but unique and an outstanding

      personality? Describe this secret in short?

 

¡¥Isa is called a prophet by Muhammad has been described five times as an ambassador of Allah and his word.

 

 

21. How could Muhammad confess that Christ is highly honored in this world and in the

      next and that he lives close to Allah after having ascended to him?

 

Muhammad only accepted Christ was brought near with God but never sit on the throne with God.

 

 

22. What could be the meaning of the Qur¡¦anic dialogue between Allah and Christ after

      his ascension? ( Sura al-Ma¡¦ida 5:116-118 ) Why is Christ given the same title as

      Allah (shaheed=observer, witness)?

 

In order to show that the existence of false teaching, Christ is given the same title as Allah in Qur¡¦an because He possesses some of the attributes of Allah.

 

 

23. How do Muslims imagine that the beginning of the day of judgment will explicitly

      depend on the second coming of Christ?

 

Muslim said ¡¥Isa will return to destroy the Antichrist, to kill all swine on earth to destroy all churches. After that he will marry and have children. He will convert all mankind to Islam. After fulfilling His task, He will die and bury. Then Allah will resurrect ¡¥Isa to help Allah to judge the world.

 

 

24. What verses of the Qur¡¦an can you cite to explain that Jesus is the only Prince of

      Peace, the real peacemaker and the only true Muslim in the world?

      Sura Maryam 19:33

 

25. Which important Biblical titles of Christ are totally missing in the Qur¡¦an? Why is

      this so?

 

Important Biblical titles of Christ missing in the Qur¡¦an are Saviour, who redeemed us by sacrificing Himself on the cross. He is the source of everlasting life, those who believe in Him will have everlasting life. He is the head of the church. The reason is the Muslim faith is of anti-Christ¡¦s faith. It wants to draw Christians to Muslims.

 

 

26. To what extent is it permissible and convenient for us to fill the Qur¡¦anic names, titles

      and attributes of Christ with the full gospel meanings of these terms?

 

We can used the names and titles of Christ in the Bible and in the Qur¡¦an when we want to share the gospel to Muslim so that they know the greatest personality ever lived on earth, even according to the Qur¡¦an.

 

 

27. Why do Muslims have great difficulties understanding our Christian terminology

      such as when we speak about salvation or a saviour? Why are many testimonies of

      Christians incomprehensible for them?

 

The teaching of Christ is not complete and being distorted by Mulim explaination. Muslim are being blindfold by the anti-Christ spirit and only through the power of god¡¦s Spirit they may see to accept the true Christ.

 

 

28. To what extent did Jesus and His apostles adjust their testimonies to the practical life

      and thoughts of Jews and Gentiles in order to convey the full truth of the Gospel to

      them? How did Paul become a Jew to the Jews and a gentile to the gentiles? What

      was the ultimate result of this Biblical way of preaching?

 

They lived among men, lived like they do but it contractorted to the ultimate truth of the Bible, they will stand against it. Paul lived like Jew when he was with Jew, and lived like a gentle when he was with a Gentile in order to win them to God.

 

The ultimate result of this Biblical way of preaching is to bring everyone to our true Savior, Jesus Christ and be His children.

 

~ The End ~

 

 

Name : Yong Yoke Yeen

Email : hhhuong@tm.net.my

Address : B-59, Jalan Gereja, Taman Bahagia, 28000 Temerloh, Pahang, Malaysia.