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In the book, The Compact Guide to World Religions , Dean Halverson compares and contrasts the two concepts of God as seen in the Qur'an and the Bible:
The Similarities
- Both are One.
- Both are transcendent Creators of the universe.
- Both are sovereign.
- Both are omnipotent.
- Both have spoken to humanity through messengers or prophets, through angels, and through the written word.
- Both know in intimate detailt the thoughts and deeds of men.
- Both will judge the wicked.
The Differences
- The God of the Qur'an is a singular unity; but the God of the Bible is a compound unity who is one in essence and three in position (Matthew 28:19; John 10:30; Acts 5:3-4).
- The God of the Qur'an is not a father, and he has begotten no sons (Surahs 19:88-92; 112:3); but the God of the Bible is a tri-unity who has eternally existed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; Luke 3:21-22; John 5:18).
- Through the Qur'an, God broke into history through a world through a word that is written; but through Jesus Christ, God broke into history through the Word who is a Person (John 1:1; Colossian 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:2-3; 1 John 1:1-3; 4:9-10).
- The God of the Qur'an "loves not the prodigals" (Surah 3:140, Ali), and neither does He love "him who is treacherous, sinful" (Surah 4:107, Ali); but "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
- "Allah desires to afflict them for some of their sins" (Surah 5:49, Ali; also see Surahs 4:168-169; 7:179; 9:2; 40:10); but the God of the Bible does not "take any pleasure in the death of the wicked" (Ezekiel 18:23) and is "not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).
- The standard of judgment for the God of the Qur'an is that our good deeds must outweigh our bad deeds (Surahs 7:8-9; 21:47); but the standard of the God of the Bible is nothing less than complete perfection as measured by the holy character of God (Matthew 5:48; Romans 3:23).
- The God of the Qur'an provided a messenger, Muhammad, who warned of Allah's impending judgement (Surahs 2:119; 5:19; 7:184, 188; 15:89-90) and who declared that "No bearer of a burden can bear the burden of another" (Surahs 17:15; 35:18, Ali); but the God of the Bible provided a sinless Savior, Jesus, who took our sins upon himself and bore God's wrath in our stead (Matthew 20:28; 26:28; Luke 22:37; John 3:16; 10:9-11; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10).
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