The question was recently posed to me, “Do Christians, Jews, and Muslims worship the same God?” Whatever polemics we prefer or purposes we pursue, truth often requires more than a simplistic affirmative or negative. We shall attempt an answer in the short space granted by adapting the method of the medieval theologian, Peter Abelard.
In his famous Sic et Non, Abelard demonstrated the subtlety of patristic theology by showing how they often answered tough theological questions with both sic (Latin, “yes”) and non (Latin, “no”). This method prompts one to reason precisely and exercise generosity while advocating truth. Ultimately, Christians must defer every theological question to the divine authority of the whole biblical canon.
Sic
Christians claim that Jesus Christ, their Lord and Savior, is the Son of God (Rom 1). He is one Lord (1 Cor 8; cf. Deut 6) with the Father and the Holy Spirit (Matt 28; 2 Cor 13). And he is the son of a Jewish woman, Mary, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1-2) and adopted by a Jewish man, Joseph. Jesus is the Messiah whom Israel expected, having also descended from Israel’s patriarchs (2 Sam 7; Ps 110; Dan 7; Matt 1; Luke 3). Christians believe that the God who reveals himself in Jesus Christ is the same God who revealed himself to Israel in the Hebrew Bible, which we call the Old Testament.
For their part, Muslims also honor Abraham, believing his son, Ishmael, was a prophet (Surahs 2, 3, 4, etc.). They claim that Arab Muslims, including Muhammed, their Prophet, descended from Ishmael. They also speak with respect for “people of the book,” including Jews and Christians, as well as for their texts, the Hebrew “Torah” and the Christian “Gospel” (Surah 5). Muslims believe that Isa (Arabic, “Jesus”) was a true prophet (Surahs 3, 5, 19, etc.). They typically claim, therefore, to worship the God of Jews and Christians, albeit according to the Koran. They believe the final judgment will vindicate their revelation as superior (Surah 22).
Those who believe that the three religions worship one God might also appeal to the doctrine that God reveals himself to all human beings. Through general revelation, every human being knows that God exists and knows important basic truths about him. The apostle Paul taught that the one true God reveals himself as invisible and as powerful, that he reveals his laws even to the Gentiles, and that he will bring judgment (Rom 1-2). In this limited sense, every human being—whether Jewish, Christian, Muslim, or whatever else—knows about the one and only true and living God, for this same God has revealed himself universally.
If we accept, prima facie, the claims of Christians about their trust in the God of the Hebrew Bible, and the claims of Muslims about their trust in the God of the Law and the Gospel, and the claims of the New Testament that the one true God reveals himself to all human beings, then we may conclude that, yes, indeed, Jews, Christians, and Muslims worship the same God. However, we must continue to examine the matter.
Non
To achieve a proper fuller answer, let us recall the biblical teachings about God and “gods,” about the necessity of true worship, and about the nature of idolatry. These texts seem to indicate that Christians worship differently from many Jews and worship a different God than the God of Islam.
Firstly, the Holy Scriptures which are commonly revered both by Jews and Christians condemn both unbelief in God and belief in multiple gods. Two psalms issue this dire warning to unbelievers: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Pss 14, 53). Lack of faith in the existence of God thus marks a person for condemnation. The Lord also condemns those who believe in many gods. His ten commandments begin, “Do not have other gods besides me” (Exo 20). He declared through the prophet Isaiah, “No god was formed before me, and there will be none after me” (Isa 43). Faith in multiple gods invites divine condemnation. The truth is: God truly exists, he is the one and only living God, and he will judge unbelief.
Secondly, Scripture tells us that worshiping God truly is absolutely paramount. Glorifying the one and only true and living God with everything we are is the purpose for which we were created (Deut 6; Matt 22; Mark 12). Alas, however, human beings inherited an inclination to create idols through the Fall of Adam. With idolatry, our intellects become “senseless” and our hearts become “darkened” (Rom 1). The apostle Paul warned Christians, “So then, my dear friends, flee from idolatry” (1 Cor 10). The apostle John agreed, “Little children, guard yourself from idols” (1 John 5).
Thirdly, this prompts us to consider the nature of idolatry. The Encyclopedia Britannica summarily defines idolatry as “the worship of something or someone other than God as though it were God.” We might be tempted to think idolatry merely involves fashioning objects to worship. Idolatry certainly includes the making of physical idols (Exo 32). But the prophet Ezekiel said idolatry is ultimately of the heart. The greatest evil goes far deeper than merely external formalities of worship (Ezek 14). Idols are manufactured not only outwardly with our hands (Ps 115) but inwardly with our heads and hearts, through false doctrines about the one true God.
The earliest Christian martyr, Stephen, informed his persecutors that they were “stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears.” He said they could not be accounted true believers, because they resisted the Holy Spirit, rejected true prophecy, and crucified the Messiah (Acts 7). Idolatry, according to this definition, is specifically marked by rejection of the Trinity—not merely rejection of the Father but also of the Son and the Spirit (cf. John 5)—and by rejection of God’s special revelation of himself through his true messengers, the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles.
Idolatry is characterized by the worship of anyone other than the one true God, who is the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and by the rejection of the biblical canon’s revelation of God. To state the matter positively, we affirm that worshiping the one and only true and living Lord, God the holy Trinity, is required of all true believers and that he reveals himself in the Christian canon of the Old and New Testaments.
Sic et Non
We must admit that members of every religion are responding in some way to the general revelation of the one true God. God has certainly revealed himself to every human being, and this general revelation certainly includes Muslims. In this sense, yes, Muslims may be said to be attempting to worship the one true God. We can appeal to general truths about the one true God as we seek to win Muslims to him.
However, we must recognize that the Koran is not general revelation but claims the status of special revelation, indeed of revelatory superiority. Alas, from an orthodox Christian perspective, Islam’s addition to revelation clearly denies major truths about the God of the Christian canon. Their denials constitute an obstacle that can be overcome only by Muslim conversion to the one and only true and living God.
Jesus and his apostles repeatedly forewarned that “false christs,” “false prophets,” and “false teachers” would arise (e.g. Matt 24; 2 Pet 2). “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4). John said these false prophets and teachers, or “antichrists,” deny that the Son is one with the Father and deny that God has come in the flesh (1 John 2, 4).
The Koran both explicitly redefines and rejects the Trinity (Surahs 4, 5) and explicitly denies the deity and the generation of the only begotten Son of God (Surahs 2, 10, 19, etc.). Sadly, Islam has been hardwired with denials of true theology and true Christology. And Trinitarian theology and orthodox Christology are foundational and non-negotiable to the Christian faith.
Next, how should we characterize the relationship between Jewish worship and Christian worship? According to Christian revelation, the God of the New Testament is the God of the Old Testament. Jesus himself equated the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Matt 22) with the God who is the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matt 28). In that sense, it is clear that those who reject the truth that Christ is God come in the flesh reject the Christ we worship. Contemporary Judaism thankfully receives true knowledge of God by receiving the Old Testament revelation, but it limits divine revelation by not receiving the New Testament.
The relationship of Jewish worship with Christian worship is porous. This can be demonstrated historically: In its earliest days, the church worshiped the Messiah, who is Jewish by birth, and was entirely composed of Jewish believers (Acts 2-5). The church only later began to include Gentiles (Acts 10; cf. Acts 15-16). Today, many Jews continue to receive Jesus as Lord and often define themselves as “completed Jews.” And eschatologically, the apostle Paul prophesied that “all Israel” will turn to him (Rom 11). In important ways, therefore, Jews and Christians have worshiped, currently worship, and will worship the one true God together.
The porous nature of Jewish worship with Christian worship manifestly stands in stark contrast with the unbridgeable divide between Muslim worship and Christian worship. Muslims may believe they worship the same God as Christians, but by receiving blasphemies about God and Christ, they delimit any coalescence.
Conclusion
We conclude, therefore, that Jews and Christians may worship the same God, but Muslims and Christians do not. Jews can become Christians without altering the special revelation they have already received, but Muslims must reject the Koran if they want to worship truly the one and only true and living God alongside Christians.
For our part, we Christians must pray for all those who do not worship the one and only true and living God, because they have not received God’s saving revelation of himself in Jesus Christ. We Christians must also respect the human rights of both Jews and Muslims to worship as they deem fit according to their own consciences, because God is the only Lord of their consciences. Religious liberty should, therefore, be respected by every person, every religion, and every government.
Our Christian prayers for general human flourishing, our unqualified respect for universal liberty of conscience, and our bold witness about the saving gospel of Jesus Christ must be extended toward non-Christian Jews, toward Muslims, and toward other non-believers, as well as toward Christian heretics. We will publish more about the latter later.
Editor's Note: As a part of its commitment to fostering conversation within the Southern Baptist Convention, the Baptist Review may publish editorials that espouse viewpoints that are not necessarily shared by the TBR team or other contributors. We welcome submissions for responses and rebuttals to any editorials as we seek to host meaningful conversations about the present and future of our convention.
Malcolm B. Yarnell III
Dr. Malcolm B. Yarnell III is research professor of systematic theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has written a number of books, including The Formation of Christian Doctrine, God the Trinity: Biblical Portraits, Royal Priesthood in the English Reformation and the recently published God, which is the first volume of Theology for Every Person. You can follow him on Twitter.