Answers to Questions Muslims ask About Christianity

Larry Nieboer

The Orlando Institute

2006

Q: Why Should I Believe The Bible; Hasn’t It Been Changed?

The Qur’an (A.D. 610) never mentions that the Taurat (books of Moses [Musa]), the Zabur (Psalms) and the Injeel (gospels) have been changed. If they were changed, when? By whom? Where? What was changed?

The Injeel was originally written around A.D. 48 – 95. Complete copies of the Injeel in the original Greek language are available from the year A.D. 325, and portions are available from A.D. 55 - 125. These copies (about 24,000) show that there has been no change to the Injeel in nearly 2000 years of existence! The vast number of ancient copies and the short time span from when the authors originally wrote them to the date the copies were written proves that the Injeel is the most reliable document of antiquity.

The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in 1947, contain two scrolls of Isaiah and fragments of all the books of the Hebrew Scriptures (“Old Testament” in Christian Bible) except Esther. Archeological experts date the scrolls to have been written around B.C. 200. These copies show that there has been no change in the Taurat, the Zabur, and other books of the Hebrew Scriptures.

Jesus said in the Injeel (Matthew 5:18), “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished.” And in Matthew 24:35 He said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away.” 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God (God-breathed)…” 2 Peter 1:21 says, “…no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

Q: Why Do Christians Call Jesus (Isa) “The Son Of God?”

In the Injeel, (Luke 1:26 – 38), it says that the angel Gabriel (Jibreel) appeared to Mary to announce that the virgin would give birth to a son. God didn’t have sex with her, rather as Gabriel explained in verse 35, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God.” He was fully human and fully divine. See also Matthew 1:18 – 25.

Q: Don’t Christians Worship Three God’s With Their Belief In The Trinity?

In the Injeel (Mark 12:28-31), Jesus affirmed what was written in the Taurat (Deuteronomy 6:4), “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord…” At the same time, Jesus forgave sin (Mark 2:5-12) and He claimed to be the final judge who will determine each man’s final destiny (Matthew 7:22, 23) – which only God can do.

See Table 1 which shows that according to the Scriptures, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit each have attributes which only God can have. How do all these agree with Jesus’ statement that “the Lord our God is one Lord?” The word “Trinity” is never recorded in the Scriptures, yet the Scriptures show that God is one – revealed in three persons. This is affirmed in the Taurat when God is referred to as “us” instead of “me” or “I” (Genesis 1:26; 3:22; 11:7).

Q: Why Do Christians Say That Jesus Died On The Cross?

God created man to have a personal relationship with Him. God warned man not to disobey or he would surely die (Genesis 2:17). Man deliberately chose to disobey God and the relationship was broken. All of us have inherited this sinful nature from Adam. From the time of Adam until about B.C. 400, God revealed through His prophets how He would bring man to Himself through the Messiah (see Table 2 on reverse side). The penalty for sin has always been death (separation from God - Isaiah 59:2; Ezekiel 18:4, 20; Romans 6:23). Our bad works are not out-weighed by good works. For any and every sin, there must be a death payment to be saved from eternal separation from God. From the days of Adam until Jesus, the blood sacrifice of an innocent lamb, goat, or bull was a substitute covering for the guilty person or nation.

John (Yahya) the Baptist called Jesus “The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). God became flesh and dwelt among us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth (Philippians 2:5-8; John 1:1-14). The sinless Lamb of God willingly shed His blood in our place (Romans 5:8) to fulfill God’s requirement for forgiveness (Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22) as the final perfect sacrifice for all time (Hebrews 10:12,14). He died to bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18). As Table 2 shows, His death and resurrection were predicted hundreds of years before by the prophets. The death of Jesus was witnessed by many - friends and foes - and His resurrection was witnessed by over 500 people! (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). God is holy and just and cannot tolerate any sin in heaven with Him; but He is also merciful, gracious, and loves us so much that He was willing to pay the death penalty against us so that we may know Him personally and live with Him forever in heaven.

The way is open for us to come to God, but the choice is ours. To be saved from eternal punishment, we must admit to God that we are a sinner separated from Him, and that the Son of God, Jesus, died to pay our penalty. We must put our faith (trust) in Jesus as our Savior who can forgive us. The Bible (including the Taurat, the Zabur, and the Injeel) are not about religion, but about relationship with God.

Do you want a personal relationship with God? Ephesians 2:8,9 says, “For it is by grace (undeserved favor) you have been saved (from sin’s death penalty we all deserve) through faith (trusting in Christ’s death on the cross for our sins and that He rose from the dead); and that not of yourselves, it is the gift (can’t be earned, but a decision must be made to receive it) of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.” “The witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:11-13)

Table 1
Attributes of God	As seen in…
	The Father	The Son (Jesus)	The Holy Spirit
Eternal	Isaiah 9:6 Psalm 90:2	Revelation 22:13 John 8:58	Hebrews 9:14
Holy	John 17:11	Luke 1:35; Acts 4:27	Romans 1:4
Truth	John 7:28	John 14:6	John 14:17; 16:13
Creator	Isaiah 40:26, 28 Hebrews 11:3	John 1:1-14 Colossians 1:13-16	Genesis 1:2 Job 33:4
All-Knowing	1 John 3:20	John 21:17 Colossians 2:2,3	1 Corinthians 2:10,11
All-Present	Jeremiah 23:23, 24	Matthew 18:20; 28:20	Psalm 139:7-13
All-Powerful	Jeremiah 32:17, 27 Genesis 17:1	Matthew 28:18 Revelation 19:11-21	Luke 24:49→Acts 1:8 Luke 1:35
Giver of Eternal Life	1 John 5:11-13	John 5:21; John 10:28	Galatians 6:8
Raised Jesus from the dead	Acts 2:24	John 2:18-22 John 10:17,18	Romans 8:11 1 Peter 3:18

Table 2 Prophecies Fulfilled in Jesus (Isa)
Prophecy Made…	Where Prophecy is Found in Bible	When Prophecy was Made	Prophecy’s Fulfillment in Christ
Born in Bethlehem	Micah 5:2	B.C. 735	Luke 2:4-7
Born of a Virgin	Isaiah 7:14	B.C. 740	Luke 1:26-31
Heir to David’s Throne	Isaiah 9:7		Luke 1:32-33
Silent to Accusations	Isaiah 53:7		Mark 15:4,5
Spat on and Struck	Isaiah 50:6		Matthew 26:67
Substitutional Sacrifice	Isaiah 53:5		Romans 5:6-8
Crucified with Malefactors	Isaiah 53:12		Mark 15:27,28
Pierced Through Hands (Before Crucifixion was invented!)	Zechariah 12:10	B.C. 520	John 20:27
Sneered & Mocked	Psalm 22:7-8	All Written by David (Daowd) B.C. 1000	Luke 23:35
Soldiers Gambled for His Clothing	Psalm 22:17-18		Matthew 27:35,36
No Bones Broken	Psalm 34:20		John 19:32-36
Was Given Gal & Vinegar to Drink at Crucifixion	Psalm 69:21		Matthew 27:34
To be Resurrected	Psalm 16:10		Acts 2:22-32
The Prophet Spoken of by Moses	Deuteronomy 18:15,18,19	B.C. 1250	Luke 24:27 John 5:39,45-47