God’s Love

Posted on February 11, 2015 by Robert Sievers

Much is made regarding God’s love toward us. Whether Christian or Muslim, most people of these different faiths have a conception of God’s love for us. There have been volumes written about the definition of love both from Christian and Muslim perspectives, and how they differ. There can never be enough of these, but I wanted to tackle the subject from a more unique angle in order to expose a significant discrepancy between the love that the God of the Bible has for us, and the definition of love ascribed to Allah in the Qur’an.

The Bible is full of profound statements about God’s love (John 3:16). It’s easy to love those who are lovable, but God led the way by loving us when we didn’t deserve it. He loved us while we were dead in our sin (Ephesians 2:4-5) and before we loved Him (Romans 5:8). He loves us so much He gives everyone who puts their faith in Him the right to be called children of God (1 John 3:1). God’s love is so strong that nothing can sever it (Romans 8:38-39). Most importantly, the greatest love possible (John 15:13) is that Jesus Himself died in order to trade His life for each one of ours. Yet it isn’t even that God represents love or shows us what true love is, but rather God epitomizes the concept of love (1 John 4:8). In other words, it isn’t that God is loving, but rather that God’s essence is love; by definition God is love.

So what does the Qur’an say about Allah’s love? Here are a few typical ayat which mention Allah’s love,

[2.195] And spend in the way of Allah and cast not yourselves to perdition with your own hands, and do good (to others); surely Allah loves the doers of good.
[3.76] Yea, whoever fulfills his promise and guards (against evil)– then surely Allah loves those who guard (against evil).

Several other verses talk about who Allah loves. He loves “those who trust” [3:159], “those who judge equitably” [5:46], “those who are careful (of their duty)” [9:4], “the doers of justice” [60:8], and “those who fight in His way in ranks as if they were a firm and compact wall” [61:4].

Yet there is something not so obvious still lurking about when the Qur’an is examined in more detail. The Qur’an is also specific about those people whom Allah does NOT love. For example.

[2.190] And fight in the way of Allah with those who fight with you, and do not exceed the limits, surely Allah does not love those who exceed the limits.
[2.276] Allah does not bless usury, and He causes charitable deeds to prosper, and Allah does not love any ungrateful sinner.
[4.107] And do not plead on behalf of those who act unfaithfully to their souls; surely Allah does not love him who is treacherous, sinful;

As it turns out, there are quite a few categories of people that Allah does not love. To name just a few, Allah does not love “the unbelievers” [3:32], “him who is proud, boastful” [4:36], “the mischief-makers [5:64], “the extravagant” [6:141], “the treacherous” [8:58], “anyone who is unfaithful, ungrateful” [22:38], “the exultant” [28:76], “any self-conceited boaster” [31:18], and “the unjust” [42:40].

At first glance, this might seem squarely on par with the God of the Bible, who does not love injustice, pride, or treachery. Yet we need to be very careful not to miss the bigger picture here. There is a major and extremely critical difference being revealed, and it is seen not by looking at what God says in the Bible, but rather by what God never says in the Bible. While God does not love sin, not once does God ever list a category of sinners that He doesn’t love. This is no small distinction. You can search the Bible through and through looking for lists of sinners that God removes His love from, and you will never find a single example. That isn’t to say God accepts that sin, or that there isn’t punishment awaiting those who die in their sin. God certainly does not love the sin and may exact punishment, but He never once ceases His love for sinners.

In Ezekiel 18:32 God calls all men to repentance, no matter where they are or what they have done. In Luke 5:32, Jesus makes this same plea. No matter how embroiled in sin, God never once says that He doesn’t love you, because He always does. In Islam, there is category after category of sinner whom Allah does not love.

In Christianity, God hates the sin, but loves the sinner. In Islam, Allah hates the sinner. This realization should make it very clear which conception of God is the correct one.

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The Marriage Bed

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Robert Sievers

For those people who are married, it is quite evident that the relationship between men and women is one that is uniquely tight-knit. Married couples share life together with a closeness that is unparalleled. Even more so, the intimacy that comes from the physical side of this union is one that links two people together in a singularly special way in body, soul, and mind. Given this significance, it isn’t surprising that both Christianity and Islam discuss the physical side of marriage.

Much of the practicalities of Islamic life and morals are located only in the Hadith. Yet the Qur’an does contain a few specific such commands. As it happens, one well-known and prominent verse has to do with marriage, specifically some of the more intimate physical aspects of marriage. A verse in the Qur’an that deservedly gets more than its share of ink is Surah 4, verse 34. It is in this verse that Muslim men are given permission to beat their wives for disobedience.

[4.34] Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property; the good women are therefore obedient, guarding the unseen as Allah has guarded; and (as to) those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in the sleeping-places and beat them; then if they obey you, do not seek a way against them; surely Allah is High, Great.

Christian apologists have written about this verse abundantly, such as in this article and video from Acts 17 apologetics. While I don’t disagree with anything stated in the video, the focus by Christians is almost always on the section of the verse relating to wife beating. This shouldn’t be surprising, given this outrageous prerogative that men are granted in the Qur’an. This verse of the Qur’an does deserve scrutiny, but as usual, I prefer to take the road less traveled.

There are several punishments permitted by this verse. Some Muslims view the verse as saying that men can choose from any of these punishments as the situation warrants, while other Muslim scholars view the verse as prescribing a set order of escalating options for chastening their wife. Regardless, notice what else the Qur’an instructs a man to do in an attempt to discipline his woman. He is instructed to “leave them alone in the sleeping places.” Pickthall translates this as “banish them to beds apart” while Yusuf Ali translate the phrase as “refuse to share their beds.” In other words, a man is instructed to cut off his wife physically. Withholding sex is one of the prescribed methods in the Qur’an that a man is to use in order to teach his woman a lesson and bring her back in line.

So what does the Bible say about this practice? First, the Bible makes it plain that the physical relationship between men and women is a gift from God, and one to be enjoyed within the constraints of marriage (Proverbs 5:18-19). Song of Solomon, an entire book of the Bible, is devoted to the attraction that often initiates the deep longing that men and women feel for each other. While many of the verses couch the language regarding the more sensuous aspects of the physical side of the relationship, it is plain that we are to delight in the beauty and affection it provides (Song of Solomon 1:2, Song of Solomon 7:1).

But more to the point, the Bible teaches that neither men nor women should withhold sex from their spouses (1 Corinthians 7:3). The only exception to this rule is by mutual agreement, and even then, only for a limited time and for the sake of prayer (1 Corinthians 7:5). The point of the Biblical teaching is that men and women are to be actively involved in all parts of the martial relationship, including the physical side. Men and woman are reminded that their spouse has just as much authority as they do over the marriage bed.

As always, when we examine Islamic and Christian practice in detail, we get completely opposing viewpoints. In Islam, men are allowed to withhold physical affection from their wives as punishment. In Christianity, men and women are instructed to enjoy each other within the bounds of marriage without unilaterally depriving the other for any reason. These are exactly opposite instructions. In the deepest and most intimate aspect of our most cherished relationship, the two religions have completely antithetical instructions.

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Christian Movements Within Islam

Posted on December 19, 2014 by Robert Sievers

As we approach the end of the year, I wanted to leave everyone with an encouraging note. Christianity and Islam are intersecting in ways they never have before. The advent of the Internet and the prolific nature of the ease of worldwide travel have caused each religion to face completely new and unforeseen challenges. These and other factors have resulted in unprecedented occurrences throughout the religious landscape of our world. One such occurrence is that Muslims in every part of the world are turning to Jesus Christ in record numbers. I have recently read two very similar books which document these movements.

The first book is entitled Miraculous Movements by Jerry Trousdale. Trousdale is the Director of International Ministries for CityTeam. The book presents a tested and successful style of ministry that Christians are using to reach Muslims. While many Westerners may find the techniques odd, they are well-grounded and Biblical. The main focus of the book is to show the pattern and results of disciple making movements. This goes way beyond trying to reach people in order to bring them to salvation. Disciple making movements change the focus from salvation to making disciples. The idea is that one of the goals of true disciples of Jesus is to make other disciples. When disciples make other disciples, who make other disciples, exponential math takes over (2 Timothy 2:2). Just like compound interest starts earning the investor interest on interest, so too disciple making movements results in entire groups of people coming to Christ and spreading the good news to others that otherwise would never have been reached. Second and third generation churches develop in areas previously inaccessible to Christian missions.

There are too many aspects to the approach to list here. As an example, one stages is described as follows, “It’s about discovering and obeying; not teaching and knowledge”. [i] The author describes this part of the approach by analyzing Jesus’ method of using parables to reach people in His own time:

“Rather than simply telling them the answers, Jesus was patient and seemed quite content to let people process information, internalize it, and eventually understand for themselves what it required of their lives”. [ii]

The book focuses on the necessity of prayer, prepares its reader to appreciate the long term and messy nature of discipleship, and aids in understanding the tricky issues of contextualization.

Another book in the same vein is A Wind in the House of Islam by David Garrison. This book also delves into the many areas in the world where entire sections and subcultures of Muslims are coming to Christ in phenomenal ways. The book begins by looking at the first 1400 years of Islamic history, briefly stopping to note a few isolated cases where movements for Christ occurred. However, these cases can be counted on one hand and even then are often suspect because of the surrounding circumstances.

The author divides the world into nine geographic and political regions and then investigates the movements that are happening within each region. In each case, researchers had a methodical set of questions to pose to Muslims who came to Christ. Interviewers would let Muslims tell their own story in their own words, and then followed up on any unanswered questions. The anecdotal accounts that are retold mix well with a more academic and scholarly approach in order to understand just what is happening within the Muslim world. The author does a good job of recognizing and discussing the potential problems with any study on such a grand scale.

Garrison concludes the book by interpreting the overall results. In one chapter, he gives ten reasons why groups of Muslims are choosing Jesus Christ. I found the ninth reason particularly fascinating: dissatisfaction with Islam itself. As the author notes, “One of the great surprises in the Muslim movements to Christ we examined was that Islam is often its own worst enemy, containing within itself the seeds of its own destruction”. [iii] The author also discusses barriers to these movements and finishes with practical ideas for how each of us might respond this very day to join in what God’s Spirit is doing in the Muslim communities of our world.

I would highly recommend either of these books to anyone intrigued by what God is doing right now in the Muslim world. The news often reports on ISIS, beheadings, and sectarian violence, but never on communities that have been healed and transformed by God. It is so refreshing to learn about how God’s kingdom is arriving in the most unusual of places and ways. A Wind in the House of Islam is a bit more scholarly and backed by great research. Miraculous Movements contains more personal testimony. I would highly recommend them both.

[i] Trousdale, Jerry. Miraculous Movements. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012, p42.

[ii] ibid

[iii] Garrison, David. A Wind in the House of Islam. Monument CO: WigTake Resources, 2014, p247.

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