In this week’s class we will continue our investigation of Religious Pluralism as we make our case for the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. As we study the lives of the Patriarchs in the book of Genesis, we find the historical basis for the three major faiths: Christianity, Judaism and Islam. We will focus, in particular this week, on the differences between Islam and Christianity, and why the evidence points to the Christian faith as the one true narrative that leads us to the one true God, through Jesus.

Watch this week’s class presentation on this topic:

2023 A Case for the Old Testament, The History Continues…

Religious Pluralism, Part 4a – Islam and Christianity

Prayer and Reflection

1. Write out your prayer cards and exchange them at the end of the class.

2. Bible Practice: Memorizing helpful facts

a. What are the five categories of the Old Testament books in the Christian Bible and what are the 39 books of the Old Testament in each of those five categories? (Hint 5-12-5-5-12)

b. What are the “Major Historical Events” – the “Major Players” involved in those events – and the “Major Covenants” found in Genesis?

3. Memory Verse:

And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40 (NASB)

Click here to check or review answers for Genesis chapters 27-29 given in the presentation

Christianity and Islam

Questions that define the differences:

Who is Allah vs. God?
Who is Muhammad vs. Jesus?
How does the Qur’an compare with the Bible?
What is the role of women?
What is the view of Heaven and Hell?
What is the view sin and forgiveness?
How important is shame and honor?

Historically

Islam claims roots going back to Abraham, but that’s where the similarity stops
Islam claims Ismael was the promised seed (with no evidence)—Christianity and Judaism claim the promise is through Isaac (with a lot of evidence)
Islam did not exist until the time of Mohammad in early seventh century AD, 600 plus years after the time of Jesus
Mohammad was highly influenced in his early life by both Judaism and Christianity, but was rejected by both with his claims of being a prophet
Mohammad is said to have received Allah’s word from an angel while alone and in a trance-like state and all of his revelations were in private
Jesus publicly fulfilled Old Testament prophecy; publicly proclaimed His message; publicly performed miracles; publicly died on a cross, and publicly rose from the grave in the Resurrection—His witnesses are in multiple

Theologically
Islam

A religion based on the “prophet” Mohammad’s writings and life
Islam requires human effort through works in an attempt to please their god, Allah
Muslims must obey the rules and regulations written in the Qur’an and additional ‘holy’ books based on the life of Mohammad and Muslim traditions
Muslims must work their way to paradise (weighing the scales), and in the end can only hope that Allah wills them in (his will is unknown and love is not one of his 99 characteristics)
Martyrdom through jihad is the only exception to the scales of good works that guarantees entrance into paradise, for males only
Leaving Islam will get a Muslim disowned by their family, and killed in many cases

Theologically
Christianity

A faith based on the Creator-God who reaches down and personally comes into His creation extending love, mercy, and grace through His Son Jesus, guaranteeing us eternal life in Heaven in relationship with Him
God makes this gift available to all who will freely receive it; it is not by anything we can work for but by the sacrifice of His Son Jesus who atoned for our sins on the cross and then defeated death in the Resurrection
God has provided, through Jesus, a way for us to get back to the original loving, face to face relationship humans had with Him in the Garden before the fall
God also works in believers through His Holy Spirit who teaches and leads into all truth which is found in His Word, the Bible, written by God-inspired men and witnessed to by hundreds and thousands over the centuries
This Triune Christian God has also given us His Word in written form through multiple, not singular, inspired writings—The Bible

Five reasons why a former Muslim became a Christian:

Only Christianity offers intimacy and promises a relationship with God as Father.
- Every other religion has a god/gods that are distant, uninterested or nonexistent.
Only Christianity offers a Savior—Jesus.
- All other religions have guides, gurus, prophets, leaders etc.
Only Christianity has grace.
- In every other religion you can find mercy if you do something for it, but not grace. (Mercy=not getting the penalty I do deserve; grace=getting something I don’t deserve after receiving mercy for the crime).
Only Christianity accepts you as you are.
- All other religions say you have to do something to be accepted.
Only in Christianity does God die for man.
- In all other religions man has to die for his god without the promise of eternal salvation.

Join us as we continue the topic of Religious Pluralism next week…

Bible Study

Each week we will have Bible study following the presentation. There will be questions presented here on the weekend, and basic answers will be part of the next presentation or posted mid-week for your review, depending on the topic. This can also be used to make a leader’s guide for your own small group and future studies!

Always remember to pray before you study and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into the truth found in God’s Word – pray for protection from the evil one who will try to discourage, distract and deceive us when we commit to growing closer to the LORD.

Note: Questions are taken directly from the chapters, and answers should be found and cited from the Scripture text in order to be Biblically accurate (unless asked to summarize in your own words). Study Bibles, commentaries and your own thoughts can be used for Discussion or Going Deeper questions. If you use these kinds of sources share them with your group.

1. Review of Class Topic: Before getting into the Bible study questions, discuss today’s class presentation by summarizing what you learned, commenting or asking any questions.

Read Genesis Chapter 30 through Chapter 32, then answer the following questions:

2. (Genesis 30:1-24) In the first part of this chapter Leah and Rachel continue their competition for Jacob’s affection, and in having children. What did Rachel do when she saw Leah had so many children while she had none at this point, and how did Leah respond in kind? Going Deeper: Make a chart that show the twelve sons of Jacob in order of their birth, who their moms were, and the meaning of each of their names.

3. (Genesis 30:25-43) In this section of the chapter, Jacob asks Laban to give him what he owed him so he could leave with his family. How did Laban try to get Jacob to stay, and what offer did Jacob make to Laban? Discuss: Jacob is said to be the first “Geneticist.” What did he do with the flocks to get them to reproduce and flourish, and how do you see God’s hand in this?

4. (Genesis 31:1-21) In the first part of this chapter, Jacob makes a decision to flee from Laban. Why did Jacob decide it was time to leave, and who did he council with in making that decision? How did Jacob follow through on the decision to leave, and do you think Jacob was trusting in the LORD at this time (why, or why not)?

5. (Genesis 31:22-55) In the second half of the chapter, Jacob and his family take off without telling Laban. What did Laban do when he discovered Jacob was gone, and what did God say to Laban in a dream? What happened between Laban and Jacob when Laban caught up with them, including what Rachel had done to make things worse? What agreement, or covenant, did Laban and Jacob make with each other, and how did they confirm it?

6. (Genesis 32:1-32) In this chapter, Jacob is on his way home, but he fears his brother Esau’s reception. What did Jacob do to appease his brother Esau before he got there? Going Deeper: Who did Jacob wrestle with, what was the outcome and why was this important?

7. Discussion and Application: We have seen some definite relationship issues in Jacob’s story. How does deception, favoritism and competition affect families or other relationships, and how do you think God would want us to handle those kinds of situations better?

Please join us each week as we continue our case for the Old Testament!

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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in! Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.

Click into the resource page of this website to view many of the top Christian thinkers and apologists along with some of their work; connecting to these types of resources is essential in your Christian growth.

Please let me know what you think: Give feedback, ask questions or send concerns in the comment section of the blog.

Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15