A monistic concept of God will inevitably disregard sin and evil, affirming all natural desires, whereas the Christian understanding of God views God alone as good, desiring to manifest His character of goodness in His creation in place of the fallen, natural, evil tendencies of man’s desires. The Holy Bible is the sacred scripture of the Christians: a) The Bible is divided into two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. the King James Version, contains only 66 books as they consider 7 books of the Old Testament to be apocrypha, i.e. No Muslim is a Muslim if he does not believe in Jesus (pbuh). The major difference between Islam and Christianity is the Christians’ insistence on the … Characteristic features of the Christian concept of God. A study of the Christian scriptures reveals that Jesus (pbuh) never claimed divinity. Christians believe God to be both transcendent (wholly independent of, and removed from, the material universe) and immanent (involved in the world). In fact the Bible contains statements attributed to Jesus (pbuh) in which he preached quite the contrary. [The Bible, Mathew 19:16-17]. (4) This God of history also is the God of judgment. However, the Protestant Bible i.e. God sets before them a definite goal of salvation—the establishment of a divine dominion—and through the prophets admonishes the people by proclamations of salvation and calamity whenever they are unfaithful to the covenant and promise. God (the father), Jesus (the son), and the holy spirit. Now in claiming this, I’m not trying to put anybody down or attack someone personally. Typically, these religions agree that God has the following 4 divine attributes: 1. As such, it demands total surrender and promises totalfulfillment. The Bible mentions the prophetic nature of Jesus (pbuh) mission in the following verses: (i)”… and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.” b) The complete Bible, i.e. Jesus Christ (pbuh) never claimed Divinity : One may ask, if both Muslims and Christians love and respect Jesus (pbuh), where exactly is the parting of ways? Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. The following statements in the Bible are attributed to Jesus Christ (pbuh): (i) “My Father is greater than I.” [The Bible, Mark 12:29]. “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know.”, 6. God, in the Christian belief, has a much more active role in creation. On the contrary he said that the path to salvation was through keeping the commandments. In fact there is not a single unequivocal statement in the entire Bible where Jesus (pbuh) himself says, “I am God” or where he says, “worship me”. God was the original being with no begining or end. Within the Christian perception and experience of God, characteristic features stand out: (1) the personality of God, (2) God as the Creator, (3) God as the Lord of history, and (4) God as Judge. Islam 101 is an educational site on Islam, Muslims, its theology, rituals, human rights, jihad, sharia and history. Omnibenevolence 4. (ii) A similar message is repeated in the book of Deuteronomy: “Thou shalt have none other gods before me.”, “Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that in the earth beneath, or that is in the water beneath the earth.”, “Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God.” That brings us to my second point, that the Muslim concept of God is rationally objectionable. Through the Law (Torah) the divine agent binds this “people of God” in a special way. In prayers Jesus used the Aramaic word abba (“father”) for God, which is otherwise unusual in religious discourse in Judaism; it was usually employed by children for their earthly father. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For the purposes of this course, all of our subsequent readings will mean by "God" the God of Judaism and Christianity. [The Bible, Luke 11:20], (v) “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgement is just; because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” (ii) It is indeed striking to note the difference between the words of Jesus Christ (pbuh) and the Christian dogma of salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus (pbuh). If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Some confuse this and think that Christians believe in three separate gods, which they don't. It is a Hebrew quotation which means: CONCEPT OF GOD IN CHRISTIANITY I INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTIANITY: Christianity is a Semitic religion, which claims to have nearly 1.2 billion adherents all over the world. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Fall Humans have a tendency to go their own way rather than keep their place […] (3) This new characteristic is God as the Lord of history, which is the main feature of the Old Testament understanding of God: God selects a special people and contracts a special covenant with them. Of course, ordinary Christians don't actually think like that, in “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”, “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” He clearly announced the nature of his mission. One may ask, if both Muslims and Christians love and respect Jesus (pbuh), where exactly is the parting of ways? CONCEPT OF GOD IN CHRISTIANITY: 1. In the Christian doctrine of salvation, we are saved from “wrath,” that is, from God’s judgment of sin (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9). [The Bible, John 10:29], (iii) “…I cast out devils by the Spirit of God….” God is further held to have the properties of holiness, justice, omnibenevolence and omnipresence. [The Bible, John 14:24], (ii)”And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent.” Jesus Christ (pbuh) never claimed Divinity: One may ask, if both Muslims and Christians love and respect Jesus (pbuh), where exactly is the parting of ways? Omnipotence 2. In this context, faith refers both to the believers’ act of trust and to the content of their faith. The single most important thing in the Bible is the concept of _____. A level philosophy looks at 3 problems with this concept of God. We believe he was the Messiah translated Christ (pbuh). Christianity owes it name to Jesus Christ (peace be on him). Eternal/everlasting However, there are a number of arguments which claim that these characteristics are logically inconsistent. Is the concept of God in Christianity (the Trinity) three Gods or One. [The Bible, Isaiah 45:5], (iii) “I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me.” The concept of God in A level philosophy is the concept of God as understood by the three main monotheistic religions – Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Christians believe in the Trinity - that is, in God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Within the Christian perception and experience of God, characteristic features stand out: (1) the personality of God, (2) God as the Creator, (3) God as the Lord of history, and (4) God as Judge. No Muslim is a Muslim if he does not believe in Jesus (pbuh). [The Bible, Exodus 20:3-5]. Christian God is different from the Allah of Muslims. God has three main parts in Christianity. This does not mean that God is a human being, but that God has \"personality\" and the capability of both relationships with other personal beings. [The Bible, John 14:28], (ii) “My Father is greater than all.” Jesus (pbuh) never claimed divinity for himself. The Abrahamic God in this sense is the conception of God that remains a common attribute of all three traditions. [The Bible, Isaiah 46:9]. Duaa’s for protection from harms and diseases, Junob and cannot perform ghusl or tayammum, Does a woman who miscarries and discharges blood pray. This special position of humans in the creation, which makes them coworkers of God in the preservation and consummation of the creation, brings a decisively new characteristic into the understanding of God. Jesus (pbuh) did not say that to have the eternal life of paradise, man should believe in him as Almighty God or worship him as God, or believe that Jesus (pbuh) would die for his sins. Concept of God in Christianity Print Email I. Jesus Christ (pbuh) never claimed Divinity. 1. the Old Testament and the New Testament put together, contains 73 books. The major difference between Islam and Christianity is the Christians’ insistence on the supposed divinity of Christ (pbuh). The Christian God is a personal God. Jesus (pbuh) was sent by God to confirm the previous Judaic law. We believe that he gave life to the dead with God’s permission. I) Position of Jesus (pbuh) in Islam: (i)Islam is the only non-Christian faith, which makes it an article of faith to believe in Jesus (pbuh). The Mission of Jesus Christ (pbuh) – to Fulfill the Law. Once the powers ascribed to God were debated, Ken asks whether the good in the world is good in lieu of God liking it, or whether God likes it because there is some intrinsic goodness to it. The concept of God in Christianity is that God is a whimsical, mean old bastard who sits in heaven and creates one soul to a life of beauty, opulence and good fortune, and another soul He creates to take birth from a crack-whore and junkie father. NOTE: All quotations of the Bible are taken from the King James Version. by IqraIslamQA. The special relationship of Jesus to God is expressed through his designation of God as Father. CONCEPT OF GOD IN CHRISTIANITY: 1. God is Creator – and “what God is, only God is.” by Dr. Zakir Naik. According to the account of Jesus’ baptism, Jesus understood his sonship when a voice from heaven said: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” In The Gospel According to John, this sonship constitutes the basis for the self-consciousness of Jesus: “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord” However the New Testament of both these sects contains 27 books. Hindu sages gave the concept of multiplicity of Gods and connected them with almost every aspect of life. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, The relation of the early church to late Judaism, The relation of the early church to the career and intentions of Jesus, The contemporary social, religious, and intellectual world, The internal development of the early Christian church, Relations between Christianity and the Roman government and the Hellenistic culture, The early liturgy, the calendar, and the arts, Theological controversies of the 4th and 5th centuries, Political relations between East and West, The Photian schism and the great East-West schism, Christianity from the 16th to the 21st century, Scripture and tradition: the apostolic witness, Evangelism: the first teaching about the God of Jesus Christ, Catechesis: instructing candidates for baptism, Aversion of heresy: the establishment of orthodoxy, Restatement: respecting language and knowledge, Inculturation: respecting places and peoples, Development: the maturation of understanding, Schism: division over substantial matters, Characteristic features of the Christian concept of God, The belief in the oneness of the Father and the Son, Different interpretations of the person of Jesus, The doctrine of the Virgin Mary and holy Wisdom, Conflict between order and charismatic freedom, The basis for the doctrine of the Trinity, The “new man”: The human being in the light of Christ, New liturgical forms and antiliturgical attitudes, Veneration of places, objects, and people, Expectations of the Kingdom of God in early Christianity, Expectations of the Kingdom of God in the medieval and Reformation periods, Expectations of the Kingdom of God in the post-Reformation period, The role of imminent expectation in missions and emigrations, Eschatological expectations and secularization, History of the interactions of philosophy and theology, Arguments from religious experience and miracles, Characteristics of Christian myth and legend, Messianic secrets and the mysteries of salvation, The church and the Byzantine, or Eastern, Empire, Church and state in Eastern and Western theology, Intellectualism versus anti-intellectualism, The tendency to spiritualize and individualize marriage, Missions to South East Asia and the Pacific, Ecumenism since the start of the 20th century. Christian Growth—2 Thessalonians 2:13 (chosen by God, loved by the Lord, sanctified by the Spirit). “Imago Dei” comes from the Latin version of the Bible, translated to English as “image of God.” \"Image of God\" is defined as the metaphysical expression, associated uniquely to humans, which signifies the symbolical connection between God and humanity. We believe that he was one of the mightiest Messengers of Allah (swt). The Trinity expresses the belief that God is one being made up of three distinct persons who exist in co-equal essence and co-eternal communion as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Christianity owes its name to Jesus Christ (peace be on him). Consider the following incident mentioned in the Bible: “And behold, one came and said unto him, ‘Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?’, And he said unto him, ‘Why callest thou me good? The First Commandment is that God is One. Christianity adopted this complicated idea of God because it was the only way they could make sense of One God in the context of the events and teaching of … (i) Old Testament condemns idol worship in the following verses: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:”, “Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God.” Jesus (pbuh) thus reiterated the message of monotheism that was given by all earlier prophets of Almighty God. We will call this the Judeo-Christian concept of God, or the God of Theism. Revelation can be link… In addition, Ken, John, and Richard discuss how a finite mind can try to understand an infinite concept like God. in India alone, there are 33 crore God and Goddesses whom the Hindus worship. According to the Christian religion God is divine and is Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omniscience and that man was made in his image. One may ask, if both Muslims and Christians love and respect Jesus (pbuh), where exactly is the parting of ways? Jesus Refuted even the Remotest Suggestion of his Divinity. Islam is the only non-Christian faith, which makes it an article of faith to believe in Jesus (pbuh). Paul Tillich believed that the essence of religious attitudes is“ultimate concern.” Ultimate concern is“total.” Its object is experienced as numinous or holy,distinct from all profane and ordinary realities. These are: 1. Therefore, the Christian concept of God is rationally unobjectionable. Indeed Jesus (pbuh) rejected any suggestions that attributed divinity to him, and explained his miracles as the power of the One True God. Christianity owes it name to Jesus Christ (peace be on him). Concept of God First let’s look the idea of God. Christianity owes its name to Jesus Christ (peace be on him). Experiences can be internal and effable, such as a vision, or internal and ineffable, as is claimed by some mystics. Now "God" has many meanings depending on who you ask. The following verse from the book of Deuteronomy contains an exhortation from Moses (pbuh): “Shama Israelu Adonai Ila Hayno Adna Ikhad”. The Old Testament is the Holy Scripture of the Jews and contains records of all the prophets of the Jews that came before Jesus (pbuh).The New Testament contains records of the life of Jesus (pbuh). We believe that he healed those born blind, and the lepers with God’s permission. II)Concept of God in Christianity 1. Jesus (pbuh) is also a revered figure in Islam. The Bible does not support the Christian belief in trinity at all. Jesus Christ (pbuh) never claimed Divinity. It is striking that the basic teachings of the Church such as Trinity and vicarious atonement find no mention in the Bible. In fact, various verses of the Bible point to Jesus’ (pbuh) actual mission, which was to fulfill the law revealed to Prophet Moses (pbuh). CONCEPT OF GOD IN CHRISTIANITY Christianity is a Semitic religion, which claims to have nearly 2.1 billion adherents all over the world. This is seen clearly in both the Old and New Testaments, in which God is described in strongly personal terms (father, shepherd, etc.) Christian Baptism—Matthew 28:19 (baptized in one name, yet three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). The major difference between Islam and Christianity is the Christians’ insistence … The Bible is the sacred scripture of the Christians. There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.’ ” Islam is the only non-Christian Faith that prescribes faith in Jesus (pbuh): Before we… What is decisively new in the Christian, New Testament faith in God lies in the fact that this faith is so closely bound up with the person, teaching, and work of Jesus Christ that it is difficult to draw boundaries between theology (doctrines of God) and Christology (doctrines of Christ). The following verses are from the Book of Isaiah: (i) “I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour.” May 8, 2016 Uncategorized Concept of God in Christianity Christianity is a Semitic religion. Our sin has separated us from God, and the consequence of sin is death (Romans 6:23). God is conceived of as eternal, omnipotent, omniscient and as the creator of the universe. (1) God, as person, is the “I am who I am” designated in Exodus 3:14. 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