Toronto Baptist Seminary

& Bible College

THE CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE OF GOD:

EXPLAINED AND DEFENDED FOR MUSLIMS

A Paper

presented in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Course

Christian Foundations

by

J. Luis Dizon

November 2010

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION 4

2. DEFINING THE TRINITY 5

3. GOD THE FATHER 9

4. GOD THE SON 11

5. GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT 17

6. CONCLUSION 19

APPENDIX ONE: Does the Qur’an Accurately Represent the Trinity? 20

APPENDIX TWO: An Early Christian Defence of the Triune Nature of God 22

APPENDIX THREE: The Nicene Creed 23

BIBLIOGRAPHY 24

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Dedicated to my Muslim best friend, Frozan Rais.

“Then you will know the truth, and

the truth will set you free...”

–Jesus Christ (John 8:32)

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INTRODUCTION

In recent decades, there have been plenty of theological exchanges between Christians and

Muslims in the western world. This means interfaith dialogue has become more common than

ever. Unfortunately, this also means that a lot of misinformation gets passed around, and one side

will frequently fail to understand what the other believes and why they believe it. Such is the case

with the Christian doctrine of God, particularly as it concerns the doctrine of the Trinity.

Unfortunately, there are not many Muslims who actually understand what Christians believe

regarding the being and nature of God. It does not help that there are not many Christians who can

accurately present their own beliefs regarding God, or explain why they believe what they believe.

Since Christians are commanded by scripture to “give an answer to everyone who asks you to give

the reason for the hope that [we] have” (1 Pet 3:15),1 and even Islam states that Christians and

Muslims are told to “come to common terms” with one another (Sura 3:64),2 it is necessary that a

proper explanation and defence of the Christian doctrine of God be given.

This article presents an explanation of the Christian view of God which will hopefully be

easy enough for Muslims to understand. The format of this article assumes that the reader has

little, if any prior knowledge of the contents of the Bible. Also provided are the rational

justifications for why Christians believe in God the way we do.

1 All Biblical citations are from the New International Version.2 All Qur’anic quotations are from the Yusuf Ali translation.

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DEFINING THE TRINITY

The doctrine of the Trinity lies at the heart of the Christian confession concerning who God is and

how He relates to His creation. It is also the most misunderstood doctrine as far as Christian-

Muslim relations go. For this reason, it is of first importance that an accurate definition of the

Trinity be provided in order for there to be reasonable dialogue on what Christians believe

regarding the nature of God. Perhaps the best and most concise definition of the Trinity is that

provided by Christian apologist James R. White in his book, The Forgotten Trinity:

Within the one Being that is God, there exists eternally three coequal and coeternal

persons, namely, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.3

It is important to note both what this definition says and what it does not say. First of all, it

affirms that there is only one God. This is important to keep in mind because there are many

Muslims who will argue that Christians believe in polytheism. It is important to understand what

Christians mean when we refer to “The one Being that is God.” As White notes, this phrase

provides plenty of information regarding the Trinity because it “not only asserts that there is one

God—the historic belief, shared by Christians and Jews known as monotheism—but it also insists

that God’s ‘Being’ ... is one, unique, undivided, indivisible.”4

The other important thing to note is that there is a distinction between the definitions of

“Being” and “person.” This is because we believe that Yahweh (the name of God that is revealed

in the Old Testament, also sometimes spelled “Jehovah”) is a unity, but that He is a complex unity.

This is vital in correcting the main misunderstanding that arises among Muslims. A popular

da’wah booklet distributed by the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) states: “Belief in the

3 James R. White, The Forgotten Trinity: Recovering the Heart of Christian Belief (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany

House, 1998), 26.4 Ibid., 26-27.

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trinity clearly contradicts the core principle of the Islamic faith—monotheism.”5 The problem with

this claim is that it makes the unwarranted assumption that there is only one valid form of

monotheism, which is Unitarianism (the belief that God is only one Being and person). This stems

from the human mind’s inability to think beyond limited physical categories. If God is infinite and

transcendent, however, then why should God be limited by the physical categories that our finite

minds attempt to impose upon Him? It would make sense that a God who is infinitely higher and

more sublime than human beings should have a nature that transcends what finite human beings

can comprehend. White warns us that we must avoid thinking of the term “person” as though

finite, self-contained human beings were in view.6 Christian theologian Wayne Grudem notes that

the three persons have no difference at all in their attributes (being all-knowing, all-powerful,

unchanging, etc.), and are different only in the way they relate to each other and to the world.7

So where does this belief in a complex unity come from? What Muslims need to understand

is that Christians believe this not because any human leader has said so, but because serious

contemplation of the contents of the scriptures (which the Qur’an states is revealed by God, cf.

suras 3:3, 48, 5:46-48, 10:37, 94, 29:41 and 35:31) compel us to believe that this is the only proper

way to understand what God has revealed about Himself. Now, a Muslim object that the Bible

does not use the word “Trinity,” but this is not a valid argument. To make the same point using

Islamic sources, the Qur’an does not use the word tawhid (the Islamic term for the oneness of

God),8 but nobody denies that the Qur’an teaches the doctrine of tawhid. Likewise, the Bible can

teach the concept of the Trinity without using that word.

5 Islamic Circle of North America, Islam Is...: Introduction to Islam and its Principles (Oakville, ON: ICNA

Canada), 28.6 James R. White, The Forgotten Trinity, 27.7 Wayne Grudem Wayne, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids, MI:

Zondervan, 1994), 254.8 Abdul Saleeb, “Islam,” in To Everyone An Answer: A Case for the Christian Worldview, ed. Francis J. Beckwith,

Wiliam Lane Craig and J. P. Moreland (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2004), 351.

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It is also important to note that the Trinity does not occur exclusively in the New Testament,

but can be traced back to the Jewish scriptures (the Old Testament, which came centuries before

Christianity). Several times in these scriptures, God speaks in the plural. A prominent example of

this is close to the beginning of the Bible, where God says, “Let us make mankind in our image, in

our likeness...” (Gen 1:26). It also appears in the book of the Jewish prophet Isaiah. Here, God

asks, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us” (Isa 6:8)? The common Muslim argument

when faced with these verses is that God is using the plural of majesty, which is a custom in

which a royal figure speaks in the plural. Muslims argue that since Allah frequently speaks this

way in the Qur’an,9 then the same must be the case in the Old Testament. However, this

explanation is anachronistic, because the plural of majesty is not used anywhere in the Old

Testament. In fact, the concept did not even exist until after the Old Testament was completed. As

biblical scholar Gleason Archer notes:

This first person plural can hardly be a mere editorial or royal plural that refers to the

speaker alone, for no such usage is demonstrable anywhere else in biblical Hebrew.

Therefore, we must face the question of who are included in this “us” and “our.” It

could hardly include the angels in consultation with God, for nowhere is it ever stated

that man was created in the image of angels, only of God. Verse 27 then affirms: “and

God [‘elohim] created man in His own image, in the image of God he created him;

male and female He created them” (NASB). God—the same God who spoke of

Himself in the plural--now states that He created man in His image. In other words,

the plural equals the singular. This can only be understood in terms of the Trinitarian

nature of God. The one true God subsists in three Persons, Persons who are able to

confer with one another and carry their plans into action together—without ceasing to

be one God.10

9 Islamic Circle of North America, Islam Is..., 13.10 Gleason Archer, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1982), 359.

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On the basis of this information, the only conclusion we can come to, is that the passages

where God speaks in the first person plural demonstrate a plurality of persons within the being of

God.

Another piece of evidence lies in the fact that sometimes God appears as two different

persons in the Old Testament. This is shown in the appearance of God to Abraham by the oaks of

Mamre (Gen 18:1ff). As He converses with Abraham, He discusses His plans to destroy Sodom

and Gomorrah (Gen 18:17ff). In the next chapter, God walks towards Sodom and Gomorrah, and

their destruction is described. Interestingly, it is written that “the LORD rained down burning

sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens” (Gen 19:24). Here there

appear to be two Yahwehs present simultaneously. This shows that even in the Old Testament,

there are already hints that God is not uni-personal in His nature.

And what is implicit in the Old Testament becomes much clearer in the New Testament.

There are various passages which could be pointed to as showing the tri-personal nature of God.

However, one of the clearest examples is towards the end of the Gospel according to Matthew,

where Jesus instructs His followers: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing

them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt 28:19). Note that

Jesus does not say names (plural) but name (singular). This indicates that the three persons

mentioned share one divine name (Yahweh). If the Father alone was God, why would His name

be shared with the Son and the Holy Spirit as well? This is particularly striking when one

considers that the Son and the Holy Spirit are also identified elsewhere as Yahweh, which will be

covered in later portions of this paper.

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GOD THE FATHER

One of the great truths that is taught by both Judaism and Christianity is that God relates to His

people as a Father. This can be found in the Law of Moses (Tawrat), particularly in the book of

Deuteronomy. Here, Moses asks the Israelites: “Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made

you and formed you” (Deut 32:6)? This is also affirmed in the David’s Psalms (Zabur), wherein it

is written: “I will proclaim the LORD’s decree: He said to me, ‘You are my son; today I have

become your father’” (Psa 2:7). And finally, in the New Testament (Injeel), Jesus instructs His

followers to begin their prayers by addressing God as “Our Father in heaven...” (Matt 6:9).

Islam, however, denies the fatherhood of God.11 According to the Qur’an, it is improper for

Allah to be a father to anybody. For example, sura al-ma’idah responds to the Jewish and

Christian claim that we are children of God in this manner:

(Both) the Jews and the Christians say: "We are sons of Allah, and His beloved." Say:

"Why then does He punish you for your sins? Nay you are but men,― of the men He

has created: He forgives whom He pleases, and He punishes whom He pleases: and to

Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between: and

to Him is the final goal (of all)" (Sura 5:18)

From a biblical standpoint, it is rather odd that the Qur’an makes this argument, since the Bible

states that God chastises us because we are His children. In the Old Testament, it states that

“Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to

discipline them” (Prov 13:24). It is stated more explicitly in the New Testament that God’s

chastising of Christians is evidence that they are His children:

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children

are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone

undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.

Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them

for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! (Heb 12:7-9)

11 Abdul Saleeb, “Islam,” in To Everyone An Answer, 354.

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Another objection that some Muslims raise is that the concept of God having children

implies that He procreates, which is unthinkable. However, it can be recognized that we are His

children in a spiritual sense rather than a physical one. To prove this point, it should be noted that

Muslims refer to Muhammad’s favourite wife Aisha as the “Mother of the Believers” (Umm al-

Mu’mineen) Obviously, Muslims do not mean by this that Aisha procreated all of them, but that

she is their mother in a spiritual sense. It is the same with Christians who refer to God as “Father.”

In addition, the Bible states that we are His children by adoption, rather than by begetting:

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather,

the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry,

“Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

(Rom 8:15-16)

This is a promise that is given to those who believe upon Jesus as God’s only-begotten Son, who

gives Christians the privilege of becoming children of God (cf. John 1:12).

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GOD THE SON

Christians and Muslims both recognize Jesus Christ to be a great man, Christians affirm that Jesus

was a true flesh and blood human being, who ate, drank and slept just like the rest of humankind.

Yet Christians have identified from God’s revelation that there is more to the nature of Jesus than

that of an ordinary human prophet. Writing seven centuries before Jesus was born, the prophet

Isaiah predicted this regarding the coming Messiah: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is

given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa 9:6). Some have suggested that “Mighty

God” is simply a title for a godlike warrior, yet this interpretation is inadmissible because of one

fact: The phrase “Mighty God” appears only twice in the entire Bible, both times in the book of

Isaiah, and in the one other instance of the phrase, the title is used to explicitly refer to Yahweh

(Isa 10:20-21). What this indicates is that the Messiah would be God Himself, come in the flesh.

Furthermore, when we look at the New Testament, we find many lines of evidence that

demonstrate that Jesus was divine. He claimed to be able to do things that only God can do, such

as forgive sins and read people’s hearts (Mark 2:7,8). He accepted worship from His followers

(Matt 2:11, 8:2, 14:33, Mark 5:6 and Luke 24:52, to name a few examples) and was identified by

several of them as God (John 20:28, Rom 9:5, Col 2:9, Titus 2:13 and 2 Pet 1:1). When one of

them named Stephen was about to be killed by stoning, his last words were a prayer to Him:

“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit ... Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:59, 60).

Jesus is also Word of God (a title also given to Him by the Qur’an in Sura 4:170). This is

significant when one considers the opening to the Gospel according to John: “In the beginning

was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). The Word is of

the same Being as God Himself. Not only that, but He has existed from all eternity, as shown by

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the fact that He “was” in the beginning. This means that the Word preceded the creation of time

itself. As White put it, “as far as you wish to push ‘the beginning,’ the Word is already in

existence.”12 It then goes on to say that Jesus as the Word was the one through whom all things

were created: “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been

made” (John 1:3). This is reaffirmed by the apostle Paul, who wrote “He is the image of the

invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven

and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things

have been created through him and for him” (Col 1:15-16).

At this point, Muslims may object that this concept of Jesus as the Creator of all things was

invented by Paul. However, this argument cannot be the case because the passage in question does

not come from Paul, but pre-existed the writing of this epistle. New Testament scholar Peter

O’Brien writes that “[t]he weight of NT scholarly opinion today considers that Colossians 1:15-20

is a pre-Pauline ‘hymn’ inserted into the letter’s train of thought by the author.”13 What this

means is that this concept was not invented by Paul, but was already extant in the Christian

community even before his conversion. Also, if one looks at this hymn, it can be seen that it refers

to Jesus as the “image [eikōn] of the invisible God.” The word indicates that “[t]he very nature

and character of God have been perfectly revealed in him; in him the invisible has become

visible.”14

Those who object to this appeal to the proceeding phrase which calls Christ “the firstborn of

all creation.” Those who quote this phrase think that it indicates that Jesus is a created being.

However, the word for firstborn, does not necessarily mean “creation.” For example, the word is

12 James R. White, The Forgotten Trinity, 51.13 Peter T. O’Brien. Word Biblical Commentary – Vol. 44: Colossians, Philemon (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson,

1982) 32.14 Ibid., 43.

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used in the Septuagint translation of Exo. 4:22 where God calls Israel “my firstborn son,” and in

Jeremiah 31:9, where God calls Ephraim “my firstborn.” Obviously, Israel is not the first nation

God created, nor is Ephraim the oldest among the twelve tribes. The word “firstborn” is being

used in these instances to refer to priority. In fact, the usage of the word in Col. 1:15 is quite

unique. As O’Brien points out, “the notion of supremacy or priority of rank tends to dominate...

Christ is unique, being distinguished from all creation (cf. Heb 1:6). He is both prior to and

supreme over that creation since he is its Lord.”15 Also, the grammatical structure of the verse

indicates that it is referring to subordination, so it is quite legitimate to translate the phrase as

“firstborn over all creation,” as some translations (such as the New English Translation) have.

Later on in John, we find written: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among

us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of

grace and truth” (John 1:14). What does it mean for an eternally existent word to take on a human

nature? It would make sense to take an example from Islamic beliefs: According to Islamic

theology, it is taught that the Qur’an existed eternally in the form of a tablet in heaven, and only

became a book when it was written down after being revealed. This is analogous to the Christian

belief that the Word existed eternally as part of the Triune God, and became flesh in the

incarnation. Also, it is to be noted that in doing so, the divine nature of Christ does not change

anymore than water changes when placed in a container. The water remains water, and does not

become glass. The same is true of the Christ in His divinity.

Finally, Jesus states at one point: “Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he

saw it and was glad .... Very truly I tell you ... before Abraham was born, I am” (John 8:56, 58).

Remember that it was mentioned before that God appeared before Abraham in the Oaks of

Mamre. By saying that Abraham saw His day, Jesus implied that it was Him who appeared to

15 Ibid., 44-45.

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Abraham on that day. Furthermore, by saying “I am,” He is referring back to Yahweh’s self-

revelation to Moses in the burning bush, where He said to Moses: “I AM WHO I AM. This is what

you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Exo 3:14). This was so profound that

the Jews immediately thought He was blaspheming. It is written that “they picked up stones to

stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds” (John 8:59). The

reaction that is given by the Jews to Jesus’ proclamation indicates that they understood His

statement to be a claim to be eternally pre-existent and one with Yahweh Himself.

At this point, Muslims may ask what Christians mean when we say that the Son is

“begotten.” It must be emphasized that this does not indicate that physical procreation took place,

or that the Son was created at some point in time and is less than divine. We are not using

“begotten” not in human terms, but rather in divine terms; it is used spiritually to refer to the

eternal, timeless relation between the Father and the Son. Christian writer C. S. Lewis used the

analogy of a book lying on top of another book.16 The top book derives its position from the

bottom book. Now, supposing those two books were in that position from all eternity, there was

never a time when the top book was not where it was, nor was there a time when the bottom book

was by itself. Another way of understanding this “eternal begetting” is in terms of the emission of

the sun’s rays. William Miller, in his book on explaining the Christian faith, describes it this way:

Look at the sun in the heavens. It is so great and so hot that if it came nearer to the

earth, we would all perish. So the sun sheds forth the sunlight, sun from the sun, one

with itself. Through the sun, the sun lights and warms our earth. In a similar way our

great God sends His light, which is one with Himself, into our world to give us life.

God calls that light His Word and His Son. That light became Jesus the Messiah ...

When we see the sunlight, we see the sun. Likewise, when we look at Jesus the

Messiah, we see God.17

16 Ibid., 173.17 William M. Miller, Beliefs and Practices of Christians (Toronto, ON: Fellowship of Faith for the Muslims), 24.

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Before concluding this section, it is worth answering a couple of objections that Muslims

make against the divinity of Christ. One common objection is phrased by the question: “How can

God die?” The problem with this question is that it assumes two things. First, it assumes that

Christ is all of God, yet it has already been made abundantly clear that God is tri-personal, and the

Father and the Holy Spirit are not directly affected by Jesus' death. Also, remember that death is

not the end of existence: Jesus' human body died temporarily, whereas His divine soul went to the

spiritual realm (cf. 1 Pet 3:19) until the body was resurrected.

The other objection is based upon certain biblical texts that seem to conflict with the belief

that Jesus is divine. Though many such proof-texts abound, it is beyond the scope of this paper to

address every single one of them. It will suffice to address two common examples. First is John

14:28, where Jesus is saying “the Father is greater than I” (John 14:28). Unfortunately, this small

phrase is completely divorced from its context. In this passage, Jesus was talking about His

coming ascension, when He will return to the position He once held prior to His incarnation. In

the meanwhile, since He was on the earth, He had lowered Himself from His pre-incarnate

position. In the words of Phil. 2:7, “he made himself nothing.” However, as soon as He ascends

into Heaven, He will once again share the glory of the Father which He held even before the

foundation of the world (cf. John 17:5). Hence, what the verse merely teaches is that Son had

temporarily lowered in position when He was on this world, but that does not mean His nature is

inferior.

The second example is in Mark 13:32 where Jesus professes not to know the day or the

hour of His return. Notice first that it is striking that this verse is brought out, since Jesus had just

stated previously that “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away”

(Mark 13:31). According to the Old Testament, this is a description of God's word (cf. Isa 40:8),

so for Jesus to say this is another implicit testimony to His divinity. Also, when this objection is

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brought out, keep in mind that since Jesus is in the flesh, He has temporarily put aside some of His

privileges. Jesus could access this knowledge, but chooses not to. This does not mean He lost

them, any more than a man who ties his arm behind his back loses his arm. Also, this applies only

to this particular point in time, not before the Incarnation or after His resurrection. Thus, it can be

legitimately said that after the resurrection, Jesus truly knew all things (cf. John 21:17).

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GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

According to Islam, the Holy Spirit is the angel Gabriel.18 Christians, however, believe that the

Holy Spirit is a coequal and coeternal person within the Triune Godhead. Bruce Milne describes

Him as “the ever-blessed object of our worship, love and praise, who shares the same divine

nature as the Father and the Son.”19 The Holy Spirit is the one through Whom divine revelation

comes to the prophets: “For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though

human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet 1:21). Also, the

Spirit is the one Who moves people to declare faith in Jesus Christ, since “no one can say, ‘Jesus

is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 12:3).

But what evidence is there to demonstrate that the Holy Spirit is also God? Admittedly, the

biblical evidence for the deity of the Holy Spirit is more implicit than explicit, but it is nonetheless

there. The Trinitarian formula in Matt 28:19 which was quoted earlier, for example, demonstrates

that the Holy Spirit is of the same Being as the Father and the Son by virtue of His sharing in the

divine name. Also, in the book of Acts, Peter rebukes Ananias for lying to the Holy Spirit, and

declares it to be tantamount to lying to God: “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart

that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for

the land? ... You have not lied just to human beings but to God” (Acts 5:3,4).

Also, Paul writes in one of his letters that “the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the

Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor 3:17). He does not say a Spirit but the Spirit, with the definite

article showing that He taught that the Holy Spirit is the Lord. He also states elsewhere that the

Holy Spirit “searches all things, even the deep things of God” (1 Cor 2:10) As Milne notes, “since

only through God himself can God be known, the Spirit must be divine for he is the one through

18Islamic Circle of North America, Islam Is..., 28.19 Bruce Milne, Know the Truth: A Handbook of Christian Belief, 3rd ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2009),

246.

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whom God is revealed to us.”20 Another similar argument concerns 1 Cor. 3:16, where it states:

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your

midst?” As Grudem has observed, “God’s temple is the place where God himself dwells, which

Paul explains by the fact that ‘God’s Spirit’ dwells in it, thus apparently equating God’s Spirit

with God himself.”21

In addition, the author of the letter to the Hebrews takes a passage from the Old Testament,

and prefaces it by saying “So, as the Holy Spirit says...” (Heb 3:7). If one looks at the Old

Testament passage that is quoted (Psa 95:7-8), one will see that it is Yahweh speaking. This

establishes that God spoke to the Israelites in the person of the Holy Spirit.

Finally, there is the passage in John where Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit:

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you (John 14:16,17).

One thing that must be noted is that the Greek word for “another” literally means “another

of the same kind.” Having already established the deity of Christ in the previous section, if the

Holy Spirit is of the same kind of advocate as Christ, then this indicates that the Holy Spirit is also

divine in nature.

20Ibid.21 Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 237.

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CONCLUSION

In this paper, the Christian doctrine of God has been carefully outlined, and terms have been

carefully defined so that misconceptions regarding what Christians believe would be cleared up.

Also, these beliefs are demonstrated to have their origin in the Holy Scriptures which God has

revealed to believers through the agency of His prophets and apostles. The doctrine of the Trinity

does not have its origins in human speculation; it is a mystery of such a nature that no human

being could ever have dreamed it up, which demonstrates that it could only have come from God.

Hopefully, this article will provide a demonstration for Muslims who are inquiring

regarding the Christian faith of what we believe and why we believe these things. Also, may this

also provide Muslims with an invitation to examine these things, that they may believe in and hold

fast to that which is true and good (cf. 1 Thess 5:21). If this doctrine be true, then surely it will

stand whatever scrutiny is placed upon it by critics. After all, as the Qur’an itself states: “Truth

stands out clear from Error” (Sura 2:256).

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APPENDIX ONE

Does the Qur’an Accurately Represent the Trinity?

There are not many texts in the Qur’an that speak directly on the issue of the Trinity. There are

two verses, however, that stand out, both of which are found in the Sura al-ma’idah (which is the

fifth Sura in the Qur’an). It is worth examining these verses and seeing what they have to say

regarding the Trinity. The first passage is verse 73, which states:

They do blaspheme who say: “God is one of three in a Trinity: for there is no god except one God (Allah). If they do not desist from their word (of blasphemy), verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them (Sura 5:73).

First thing that must be noted is that the word “Trinity” does not actually appear in this

verse, but was added as an interpretive gloss by the translator. The phrase literally reads “third of

three.” That being said, the main problem with this phrase is that it does not clearly elucidate what

Christians actually believe regarding the nature of God. The verse implies that Christians believe

in three separate divinities, of Whom God holds only third place. This concept is foreign to

Christian theology, and in light of the definition of the Trinity that has been given before, is a

misrepresentation of what Christians believe. The second relevant passage is even more

interesting for what it contains. It is verse 116, which states:

And behold! Allah will say: “O Jesus, the son of Mary! Did you say to men, ‘worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of Allah’?” He will say: “Glory to You! Never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, You would indeed have known it. You know what is in my heart, though I do not know what is in Yours. For You know full all that is hidden. (Sura 5:116)

Notice that the misrepresentation of the Trinity as three separate gods (as opposed to one

God in three persons) is repeated herein. That is not the most telling detail, however. Notice that

the verse mentions that the Trinity is composed of Allah, Jesus and Mary. Even if the doctrine of

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the Trinity was false (as Muslims claim it is), the Qur’an ought to at least to be able to provide a

correct definition of the Trinity, which it could then proceed to refute.

Seeing the problem posed by this verse, Muslims have come up with a variety of ways of

trying to explain this verse. The most common explanation for this verse is that the Qur’an is not

criticizing mainstream Christian beliefs, but is going against a heretical sect known either as the

Collyridians or the Mariamites, which worshipped Mary as a goddess. However, there is no

evidence that this religious sect was still in existence in Arabia during the time of Muhammad,

which makes it highly improbable that this passage is a reference to them. Even if this was the

case, however, this explanation brings up more questions than it answers. For one, if this verse

does not define the Trinity, then where in the Qur’an is the Trinity defined? It would seem very

odd that the Qur’an would address an obscure sect but fall silent when it comes to the beliefs of

the vast majority of mainstream Christians. Also, why do many Muslims still treat this verse as

though it represented mainstream Christianity? For example, some Muslim student groups

distribute literature with the claim that Christians worship Father, Mother and Son as three

different gods.22 The inconsistencies are rather glaring.

In conclusion, it is shown that the Qur’an does not accurately represent the Trinity. If this

book was truly the word of God, then it should be able to respond truthfully to the claims of other

religion, yet we see that this is not the case. Such glaring misrepresentation is not what we would

expect of a book that claims divine origin, and would surely put its inspiration into question.

22 Charles Colson and Anne Morse, "Doctrine Bears Repeating," Christianity Today.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/april/10.72.html (Accessed November 25, 2010).

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APPENDIX TWO

An Early Christian Defence of the Triune Nature of God

One of the earliest Christian defences of the faith against the arguments of Muslims comes from

an unnamed Arab Christian who wrote a treatise called On the Triune Nature of God (Fi tathlith

Allah al-wahid). Written back in 778 A.D., this treatise was written in response to early Muslim

arguments against Christianity, and uses Qur’anic language to respond to the objections that were

set forth. The following is a brief extract from the surviving text of the treatise:

We do not say three Gods...but we say that God and His Word and His Spirit are one God and one Creator.....We do not say that God begat His Word as any man begets - God forbid! Rather we say that the Father begat His Word as the sun begets rays, as the mind begets speech and as the fire begets heat.

This, then, is our faith and our testimony in God and His Word and His Spirit: He is the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God and one Lord. As for Christ, in him He saved and delivered mankind, and we shall expound that, God willing, how God sent His Word and His Light as a mercy and guidance to men, and favoured them by Him.23

It is clear from treatises such as these that Christian apologetics against Islamic claims are

not new, but have been circulating since the two religions first began to encounter one another. It

is instructive to see how Christians have historically responded to Muslims and what kind of

explanations have been employed to provide a rational justification for Christian beliefs.

23 "On the Triune Nature of God" (Fi tathlith Allah al-wahid), Answering Islam, http://www.answering-

islam.org/Debates/triune.htm (Accessed November 21, 2010).

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APPENDIX THREE

The Nicene Creed

Originally drafted in A.D. 325 A.D. and revised in A.D. 381, the Nicene Creed serves as a

summary of the Christian doctrine of God. It is accepted by all the major branches of Christianity,

be they Protestant, Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox.

The following is an English translation of the text of the Nicene Creed as it appears in

Grudem’s Systematic Theology:

I believe in one God the Father Almighty; Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried; and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; and he shall come again, with glory, to judge both the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spake by the Prophets. And one Holy Catholic [meaning Universal, not to be confused with Roman Catholic] and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. 24

24 Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 1169.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Archer, Gleason. Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1982.

Colson, Charles and Anne Morse. "Doctrine Bears Repeating." Christianity Today. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/april/10.72.html (Accessed November 25, 2010).

Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994.

Islamic Circle of North America. Islam Is...: Introduction to Islam and its Principles. Oakville, ON: ICNA Canada.

Miller, William M. Beliefs and Practices of Christians. Toronto, ON: Fellowship of Faith for the Muslims, 1996.

Milne, Bruce. Know the Truth: A Handbook of Christian Belief. 3rd Ed. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2009.

O’Brien, Peter T. Word Biblical Commentary – Vol. 44: Colossians, Philemon. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

"On the Triune Nature of God" (Fi tathlith Allah al-wahid). Answering Islam. http://www.answering-islam.org/Debates/triune.htm (Accessed November 21, 2010).

Saleeb, Abdul . “Islam.” in To Everyone An Answer: A Case for the Christian Worldview. Edited by Francis J. Beckwith, Wiliam Lane Craig and J. P. Moreland. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2004, 350-371.

White, James R. The Forgotten Trinity: Recovering the Heart of Christian Belief. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 1998.

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