Do not be surprised if the Muslims you are talking to act as if their side wins every debate and that they are so confident that the Quran is true that it is as if they had witnessed everything it says with their own eyes. That is quite typical. Expect it and don't let it bother you.
Do Muslims Ask Real Questions?
Sometimes you will find Muslims asking inappropriate questions, or behaving in a way that makes you question their sincerity. At this point it may be best to not continue discussing. You have to decide if what you are encountering a language barrier, or something cultural, or if your time and expertise is better spent elsewhere. You should not cast your pearls be fore the swine. Feel free to walk away.
Muslims almost always demand a much higher standard of proof from Christianity than they do from their Muslim sources.
It is common to encounter Muslims who say they used to be Christian. This is a way of discrediting Christianity. Some who know more about Christianity may claim to have been elders, youth pastors or pastors, or former Christian scholars who have seen the light. I have heard where Muslims convert to Christianity, marry naïve Christian women, then revert back to Islam.
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Monday, December 21, 2015
Salvation: What about Those Who Never Heard of Jesus? +
It seems obvious to me that the universe has an intelligent creator. Nothing like this world happens by chance. So I don't see why all people shouldn't seek and call out to him. Abraham did not come from a land that knew God, but God told him:
Leave your country, and your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you.
--Genesis 12:1
And so unfolded the story from Abraham, to David and to Jesus.
The Bible says:
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
--James 4:8
Paul says:
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness”
--Romans 1:18
Paul says:
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness”
--Romans 1:18
Sunday, December 20, 2015
The Resurrection: The Quran's weakness is our strength +
What is the most compelling reason to believe in Jesus? The resurrection!
An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there will be no sign given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
--Matt 16:4
All the Muslim scholarship (or propaganda) funded by all the Saudi oil money has yet to produce a good answer to the resurrection.
When a young Josh McDowell came to debate Ahmed Deedat (in Durban 1981), the result was so embarrassing for Deedat that the Islamic propagation center did not release a video of the event, although they organized it.
Ahmed Deedat vs Josh McDowell Debate: Was Jesus Christ Crucified? (Full)
https://youtu.be/cgUnalaJoTs
The debate between Mike Licona and Shabir Ally (in Virginia Beach, VA 2004) was so disappointing to Nabeel Qureshi, who was in the audience, that he left Islam and became a Christian apologist.
Did Jesus Rise from the Dead? Michael Licona vs. Shabir Ally
https://youtu.be/FTyqQlBGX_4
Both these are the best two Muslim debaters in their time, and this shows the resurrection is a difficult problem for Islam and a battle-tested justification for believing in Christianity.
This being the case, you would think that the Quran would help out with some insight on how a critical mass of people came to believe the resurrection and endure the inevitable persecution.
However, in response all we find is forty Arabic words, which basically say that Jesus was not crucified but it just appeared that he did. That is not helpful. In fact I would say that it looks like the Muslims are doing all the work, not the Quran. That pretty much describes an idol.
I suggest that you study these two debates carefully, and you will have nothing to fear from the best Muslim debaters in history.
Muslims learn many polemics against Christianity, but it is impossible to train the average Muslim to respond to the resurrection without risk of them leaving Islam.
Questions for Muslims:
What evidence does Islam provide for itself? The resurrection shows that that Christianity is reasonable to believe in. Islam must bring something demonstrability more compelling?
Big claims need big evidence.
In principle, Islam should have a very compelling case because the Quran is written as a rebuttal to Christianity and Judaism. The person who writes the rebuttal is in a very strong position. That is why the defense in a court trial has the final word, in order to give them some advantage. What useful insights do you get from the Quran on the origin of Christianity?
An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there will be no sign given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
--Matt 16:4
All the Muslim scholarship (or propaganda) funded by all the Saudi oil money has yet to produce a good answer to the resurrection.
When a young Josh McDowell came to debate Ahmed Deedat (in Durban 1981), the result was so embarrassing for Deedat that the Islamic propagation center did not release a video of the event, although they organized it.
Ahmed Deedat vs Josh McDowell Debate: Was Jesus Christ Crucified? (Full)
https://youtu.be/cgUnalaJoTs
The debate between Mike Licona and Shabir Ally (in Virginia Beach, VA 2004) was so disappointing to Nabeel Qureshi, who was in the audience, that he left Islam and became a Christian apologist.
Did Jesus Rise from the Dead? Michael Licona vs. Shabir Ally
https://youtu.be/FTyqQlBGX_4
Both these are the best two Muslim debaters in their time, and this shows the resurrection is a difficult problem for Islam and a battle-tested justification for believing in Christianity.
This being the case, you would think that the Quran would help out with some insight on how a critical mass of people came to believe the resurrection and endure the inevitable persecution.
However, in response all we find is forty Arabic words, which basically say that Jesus was not crucified but it just appeared that he did. That is not helpful. In fact I would say that it looks like the Muslims are doing all the work, not the Quran. That pretty much describes an idol.
I suggest that you study these two debates carefully, and you will have nothing to fear from the best Muslim debaters in history.
Muslims learn many polemics against Christianity, but it is impossible to train the average Muslim to respond to the resurrection without risk of them leaving Islam.
Questions for Muslims:
What evidence does Islam provide for itself? The resurrection shows that that Christianity is reasonable to believe in. Islam must bring something demonstrability more compelling?
Big claims need big evidence.
In principle, Islam should have a very compelling case because the Quran is written as a rebuttal to Christianity and Judaism. The person who writes the rebuttal is in a very strong position. That is why the defense in a court trial has the final word, in order to give them some advantage. What useful insights do you get from the Quran on the origin of Christianity?
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Jesus, the Son of Man +
One very important concept to understand is Jesus' use of the phrase "Son of Man". Some Muslims will suggest that Jesus' frequent use of this title (81 times, actually) means he did not claim divinity for himself.
How can Jesus take this modest title and claim to be God at the same time? Well, the Jews were familiar with this passage from Daniel chapter 7:
I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed.
--Daniel 7:13-14
This passage is not discussed often enough in church, so please read it carefully.
Note how Jesus answered the high priest in Mark 14:
Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”
And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
The high priest responds:
And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need?
You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?”
And they all condemned him as deserving death.
--Mark 14:61-2
Let me clarify Jesus' use this title for himself. In fact Jesus uses this phrase in the third person. If he had applied it to himself in first person, he could have been arrested for blasphemy by his enemies.
At the end of his ministry, when his fate was sealed, he was more clear:
Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?
--Luke 22:48
How many people did Judas ever betray with a kiss in his life? Just one.
Is Jesus God?
In the current prevailing teaching on apologetics to Muslims, it is often suggested that we should say that "Jesus is God". But Jesus referred to himself as "Son of Man" much more often, and this title confers more useful insight on who Jesus is with the context of Daniel 7.
How can Jesus take this modest title and claim to be God at the same time? Well, the Jews were familiar with this passage from Daniel chapter 7:
I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed.
--Daniel 7:13-14
This passage is not discussed often enough in church, so please read it carefully.
Note how Jesus answered the high priest in Mark 14:
Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”
And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
The high priest responds:
And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need?
You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?”
And they all condemned him as deserving death.
--Mark 14:61-2
Let me clarify Jesus' use this title for himself. In fact Jesus uses this phrase in the third person. If he had applied it to himself in first person, he could have been arrested for blasphemy by his enemies.
At the end of his ministry, when his fate was sealed, he was more clear:
Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?
--Luke 22:48
How many people did Judas ever betray with a kiss in his life? Just one.
Is Jesus God?
In the current prevailing teaching on apologetics to Muslims, it is often suggested that we should say that "Jesus is God". But Jesus referred to himself as "Son of Man" much more often, and this title confers more useful insight on who Jesus is with the context of Daniel 7.
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Trinity: If Jesus is God, then who did he pray to? Did Jesus pray to himself? -
One Muslim polemic goes like this.
If a Muslim asks: "Is Jesus God?".
Don't go for the trap of simply saying "yes.", because then you will open the door to a series of unproductive questions like: "Does God pray to himself"?
The Greek language was powerful enough to express "Jesus is God", but it does not say that. You only find more nuanced statements such as this one:
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
--Colossians 2:9 (KJV)
There is a fundamental difference in terminology: When Muslims say God they mean their one god, or, like God The Father.
When we say God we refer to the being who is manifested in three persons.
The confusion is that we also say "God", meaning God the Father. Actually all three are equally God.
If a Muslim asks: "Is Jesus God?".
Don't go for the trap of simply saying "yes.", because then you will open the door to a series of unproductive questions like: "Does God pray to himself"?
The Greek language was powerful enough to express "Jesus is God", but it does not say that. You only find more nuanced statements such as this one:
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
--Colossians 2:9 (KJV)
There is a fundamental difference in terminology: When Muslims say God they mean their one god, or, like God The Father.
When we say God we refer to the being who is manifested in three persons.
The confusion is that we also say "God", meaning God the Father. Actually all three are equally God.
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Jesus brings a Sword, not Peace! +
The Muslim mindset is always trying to find ways to deflect blame from the violence that always seems to follow it. One way they do this is by quoting the verse highlighted below:
34 "Don't think that I came to send peace on the earth.
I didn't come to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I came to set a man at odds against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
36 A man's foes will be those of his own household.
--Matt 10:34-36
The Muslim will certainly not quote this verse in context (with vv.35-36) , nor will he point out that the entire chapter 10 of Matthew deals with the persecution that his disciples would suffer.
The best response to a sincere Muslim seeker is just to read all of Matthew 10 together.
The point is that in Matthew 10, the sword represents division, conflict, and persecution that is directed at the disciples of Jesus.
Muslims may been told about this verse:
Then he said to them, “But now, whoever has a purse, let him take it, and likewise a wallet. Whoever has none, let him sell his cloak, and buy a sword.”
--Luke 22:36
But here is the context, which Muslims have not heard about:
“For I tell you that this which is written must still be fulfilled in me:
‘He was counted with transgressors.’
For that which concerns me has an end.”
--Luke 22:37
Jesus also said:
“Put your sword back into its place, for all those who take the sword will die by the sword. Or do you think that I couldn't ask my Father, and he would even now send me more than twelve legions of angels? How then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that it must be so?”
--Matthew 26:52-54
Question for Muslims: what verse gives justification for Christians to take up a (physical) sword?
34 "Don't think that I came to send peace on the earth.
I didn't come to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I came to set a man at odds against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
36 A man's foes will be those of his own household.
--Matt 10:34-36
The Muslim will certainly not quote this verse in context (with vv.35-36) , nor will he point out that the entire chapter 10 of Matthew deals with the persecution that his disciples would suffer.
The best response to a sincere Muslim seeker is just to read all of Matthew 10 together.
The point is that in Matthew 10, the sword represents division, conflict, and persecution that is directed at the disciples of Jesus.
Muslims may been told about this verse:
Then he said to them, “But now, whoever has a purse, let him take it, and likewise a wallet. Whoever has none, let him sell his cloak, and buy a sword.”
--Luke 22:36
But here is the context, which Muslims have not heard about:
“For I tell you that this which is written must still be fulfilled in me:
‘He was counted with transgressors.’
For that which concerns me has an end.”
--Luke 22:37
Jesus also said:
“Put your sword back into its place, for all those who take the sword will die by the sword. Or do you think that I couldn't ask my Father, and he would even now send me more than twelve legions of angels? How then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that it must be so?”
--Matthew 26:52-54
Question for Muslims: what verse gives justification for Christians to take up a (physical) sword?
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Trinity: The Plural of Respect in the Old Testament +
It is natural for Muslims to believe that there is a "Plural of Respect" in the Bible. That's like the "Royal we", as in the well-known phrase "We are not amused", where it is just the queen speaking.
Muslims readily believe this is because, in the Quran, Allah likes to refer to himself in the plural for some reason.
I have seen this come up when talking to Muslims in these two situations:
Explaining the Trinity from the Old Testament ("Let us create man in our image").
Mohammed in the Song of Solomon 5:16 ("Muhammedim"), part of the attempt to show that Muhammed is in the Bible.
The response is that this "plural of respect" does not exist in the Old Testament, in the sense that you do not see any kings (or anyone else) refer to themselves in the plural form.
Also this way of addressing God, or anyone, in the plural, is never found in the New Testament.
Muslims readily believe this is because, in the Quran, Allah likes to refer to himself in the plural for some reason.
I have seen this come up when talking to Muslims in these two situations:
Explaining the Trinity from the Old Testament ("Let us create man in our image").
Mohammed in the Song of Solomon 5:16 ("Muhammedim"), part of the attempt to show that Muhammed is in the Bible.
The response is that this "plural of respect" does not exist in the Old Testament, in the sense that you do not see any kings (or anyone else) refer to themselves in the plural form.
Also this way of addressing God, or anyone, in the plural, is never found in the New Testament.
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