November 3, 2016

Judaism, Christianity and Islam, aren’t they same?

Q: Judaism, Christianity and Islam came from the same source. If they are children of the same God, why so many clashes in community?

What is common about Judaism, Islam and Christianity is that they are theistic religions – meaning they all believe in a moral, personal, infinite God. They are also similar, in that, they believe in God who has revealed himself through writings, though each has a different book. Islam is based on the teachings of Mohammed the prophet.

The Christian faith shares the same books of Judaism which is called the Old Testament. But the Bible goes on to say that the Messiah that the Old Testament promises is Jesus Christ. Jesus is God himself who was born once as a human being, lived among men and was finally crucified on the cross on trumped up charges. But having lived a sinlessly perfect life, even to his death, he was raised from the dead to live eternally. The life of Jesus, his teaching and those of his disciples are recorded in the New Testament of the Bible.

One does not become a disciple of Jesus by being born in a Christian home as much as one does not become a car by being born in a garage. Even participation of the rituals of the church does not make one a disciple of Jesus. Irrespective of which community, culture, caste or religious persuasion you were born in you have to make a conscious decision to follow Jesus to become a disciple of Jesus. Those who have given their life to the Lordship of Jesus know what it means to be loved unconditionally and to also have a peace that passes human understanding.

Further, we need to keep in mind that God disclosed in the Bible in different in essence from that of Islam and Judaism – He is Trinitarian – meaning He is one God in three persons. The Godhead is in community and lives in perfect harmony. So, the Christian faith is rooted in the essence of one God yet in eternal fellowship. The triune God has lived in this perfect relationship from eternity to eternity. The question of a a disciple causing disharmony runs contrary to the very being of the God he claims to worship.

So, the disciple of Jesus is one who should have peace within and also be able to share that peace in society by being peacemakers. So, no one who is living as a disciple of Jesus would be the cause of disharmony in society.

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