The Isa and Islam staff have had many Muslims tell us that Christians worship three gods. This is because of Qs 5:116: O Jesus, Son of Mary, did you say to the people, ‘Take me and my mother as deities besides Allah?‘” But Christians see a major mistake and misunderstanding there. Christians have never believed in or received the teaching in these verses! This teaching is foreign to Christians and is blasphemous! Where does this teaching come from? Clearly there are no verses in the Taurat or the Injil that teach such things.
As the Bible Teaches, Christians Believe in One God
Christians have never believed in three gods, but in only one God! (Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 12:29).
Obviously, there really is no human being who can understand God completely. If we could understand God completely, we would be equal to God. The Bible clearly teaches that God is one but He exists in three Persons. From all eternity, God has been God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Yet He is One (a unity), not three.
The Trinity Explained
Muslims often ask us how God can be One and Three at the same time. This is difficult to understand. But I recently read a good explanation originally from Arab Christians that I would like to share with you. In this explanation the Trinity is compared to the sun.
God the Father is like the sun in the middle of the day. The sun is so bright that if a person stares at it, he’ll go blind. The sun is so far away, a person can’t get to it. If he could get to it, he would be destroyed because of the heat. God the Son is the light of the world, and like the light of the sun. Every living being on earth needs the sun’s light to live: plants, animals, and people. If there was not light, it would always be night. God the Holy Spirit is like the warmth that the sun gives. Without the sun’s warmth, the earth would be covered with ice. Everyone would die.
The Three Cannot be Separated
The sun, its light, and its warmth cannot be separated. A person can’t have light or warmth without the sun in the sky. The light can’t be separated from the sun or the warmth from the light. The three parts of the sun are one, and yet they are different. The same is true of the Trinity. All three, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are One, and yet they are different persons.
God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
God the Father especially is shown in His work of creating and maintaining the world and all it contains. God the Son is known as the eternal Word, the Lord, and Savior of the world. God the Holy Spirit is especially connected with his ministry of convincing mankind of sin, causing people to be born again, and leading His people (Matthew 28:18,19; Luke 3:21,22; John 1:1; John 14:16-17; 2 Corinthians 12:13).
[We invite you to visit us at https://www.isaandislam.com/way-of-salvation to learn more about God’s gift of Salvation. God loves you and waits to hear from you. Isa clearly said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Injil, John 14:6). For a deeper understanding of Isa we suggest you subscribe to “Isa, Islam, and Al-Fatiha” at this link.]
SOME QUESTIONS FOR THE COMMENT SECTION BELOW
We encourage our readers to comment on the article above. Comments that don’t directly relate to the topic will be removed. Please start a dialogue with us by focusing on one of the following questions:
Why do Muslims think that Christians believe in three Gods?
Why is the Trinity necessary?
What verses in the Bible support the idea of the Trinity?
If you have a question regarding this article, please contact us by clicking this link.
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Salam,
Astaghfirullah. That is not the teaching of Islam. God is One and only One. He is not a Father, not a Son, not a Spirit. He has no shape or form. We are not images of what God looks like. If God was the Son, why would He die? Why would He say, “Oh Father, why have you forsaken me?”
I don’t get your teaching at all. Please learn more about Islam. And the quote you wrote above is not the correct quote from the Quran. Please don’t quote wrong.
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Elizabeth,
Thank you for your comment.
The Bible teaches that we are made in the psychological image of God. God has mind, emotions and will and so do we. We do not believe that God has physical form. God is Spirit.
Genesis (Taurat) 1:26-27 says, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness . . . So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him . . .
Gof does not have a physical form. Being created in the image of God has nothing to do with a physical form.
Many of Isa’s followers believe that this verse from Genesis also refers to man having a soul and the ability to live even after he dies.
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That analogy of the Trinity (in the article) actually leads to a heresy.
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Chase,
Thank you for your comment.
I realize that there is no perfect analogy of the Trinity, and that almost every one could lead to heresy. But the above analogy made more sense to me and broke down less than the popular egg (shell, egg white, yolk) and water (ice, liquid, steam) analogies.
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Elizabeth,
As a short answer for you I will say this: Jesus, the Son, died and rose again, so in fact He is not dead.
Jesus said, “Oh Father why have you forsaken me?” because during the crucifixion, at the moment Jesus took the weight of the sins of man (past, present and future) the Almighty God being truly holy, could not stand the sight of sin, So God looked away from Jesus, although the Trinity was never broken.
And yes, God is one, and God’s power also far away exceeding our understanding. Hope you understand. God Bless!
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Hi Abraham,
Thank you for your good comment! It helps us to have others answer questions!
A good article that deals with the death of Christ can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/9su6eek
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The Bible clearly teaches that God is One. So don’t add your human ideas to explain that God exists in three persons. That’s non-sense. God is not equal to humans. We understand what you are trying to say, but it’s because you insert your human Ideas in it.
All Muslims are afraid that the Almighty God is angry with all of those who associate any partner to Him and believe that there is a real life after this life. If you keep spreading this non-sense idea to others, you will have to answer to God for it after this life.
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Indra,
The idea of the Trinity is beyond our human ability to understand. We as human beings cannot understand all the mysteries in this universe unless God reveals them to us. After we believe, our understanding starts to accept His divine truth. We Christians recognize the three Persons and indeed they are One. They are not like in this world, where different persons are different, but God is One.
The Trinity is the only way that Allah can save us. Isa Al-Masih, second person in the Trinity, was the ultimate sacrifice which forgave our sins. Isa said, “… the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through Me” (Injil, John 14:6). He is the only way your sins will be forgiven. There is no other way. You need Him so that you can live eternally with God. If you are interested to study more about Him at: https://www.isaandislam.com/Christian-Beliefs/why-christians-want-muslims-to-be-saved.html.
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Kalimat-ullah, Ruh-ullah and Allah are “one” God, not “three” gods!
Qs 4:171 (Pickthall)
“O People of the Scripture! Do not exaggerate in your religion nor utter aught concerning Allah save the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of Allah, and His word which He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers, and say not “Three” – Cease! (It is) better for you! – Allah is only One Allah. Far is it removed from His Transcendent Majesty that He should have a son…”
There is only One God! Jews, Christians, and Muslims all agree that there is only One God – Allah, Elohim, Elai, the Creator of heaven and earth.
However, some people exaggerate and count by addition: 1+1+1=3 (God + Mary + Isa = team of 3 Gods) which is blasphemous to every true believer.
Instead we need to move on in mathematics to multiplication: 1x1x1=1 (God x Word x Spirit = one Allah) and read the scriptures on who the three factors are. Therefore count correctly and say not “three.” Allah does not associate any other partner to himself; he is not a team of three. Allah-hu-Akbar!
He is greater and surely manifests himself in his Word “Kalimat-ullah” and his Spirit “Ruh-ullah” displayed among humans through Isa, the anointed (Messiah) son of Mary. His eternal Word and His eternal Spirit are both are an integral part of His essence and substance, His oneness, and they operate out of Him, not any external force.
Instead we need to move on in mathematics to multiplication: 1x1x1=1 (God x Word x Spirit = one Allah) and read the scriptures on who the three factors are. Therefore count correctly and say not “three”. Allah does not associate any other partner to Himself; He is not a team of three. Allah-hu-Akbar! He is greater and surely manifests Himself in his Word “Kalimat-ullah” and His Spirit “Ruh-ullah” displayed among humans through Isa, the anointed (Messiah) son of Mary. His eternal Word and His eternal Spirit are each an integral part of his essence and substance, His oneness, and They operate out of Him, not any external force.
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Actually I want to learn more about Christians beliefs. With the above quoted logic, how can one assume that the Father and the Son could be a part of a single entity? And where is it mentioned in the Bible in a manner that one can can clearly understand?
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Dear Khalid,
These Bible verses from the article clearly show the different parts of the Trinity:
Matthew 28:18,19
“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”
Luke 3:21,22
“Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
John 14:16-17
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”
If you have further queries, please let me know.
Aila
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Dear Khalid,
I pray so that you may understand God’s revelation.
In Injil, John 14:8, Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father. That is all we need.”
Jesus replied:
Philip, I have been with you for a long time. Don’t you know who I am? If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. How can you ask me to show you the Father? 10 Don’t you believe that I am one with the Father and that the Father is one with me? (John 14:9)
Have faith in me when I say that the Father is one with me and that I am one with the Father. Or else have faith in me simply because of the things I do. (John 14:11)
In Injil, John 17:1-5, Isa prays,
“Father, the time has come for you to bring glory to your Son, in order that he may bring glory to you. Eternal life is to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, the one you sent. Now, Father, give me back the glory that I had with you before the world was created.”
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Stefan, kalimatullah and ruhullah are not Allah. Please, don’t inject your paganic ideas into the Quran. Please, stop with the lies! Allah is one. He has always been Allah and will never change into anything to degrade Himself. The creation of Adam also involved the breathing of God’s spirit into Adam. In this sense, Isa(p) is not special. Please, we pray to Allah, not ruhullah or kalimatullah. We do not need the confused pseudo monotheistic beliefs of your bible in the Quran. The tauheed of the Quran is clear-cut and the most beautiful doctrine ever preached. Allah does not have a son (whether figuratively or physically). We are all His servants and creation. Allah creates, He does not procreate. No situation is too difficult for Him such that He would have to step down onto the earth.
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Thank you for your comment. We are not telling lies. What we share are from the Bible, the truth of God’s revelation that came before the Quran existed.
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Dear Brother,
The Quran rightly prohibits polytheists to associate partners with Allah, but does not restrict Allah to reveal Himself as He wants, as He chooses to save us by His own power and with His own compassion. So let us now unroll the plain truth about Allah’s identity, His oneness according to all the scriptures:
Moses, David, Isaiah and all the Prophets made it very clear to the people of Israel, – Allah is One:
Tawrat, Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is one.”
Zabur, Psalm 113:5: “Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high?”
Anb, Isaiah 37: 16: “Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned…” etc.
Isa quotes the Taurat, Deuteronomy 6: 4 on the subject. In Injil, Mark 12:29: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God,… is one…”
The doctrine of oneness was always preached and believed long before Muhammad (pbuh). Please do not despise the miracle of the biblical records.
However, most imperatively, we also read (above) in His scriptures that there was always the “Word-” and the “Spirit-” of Allah as integral part of his being. In the beginning, Allah created by His word the universe,(“be” and it was) etc. Also His Spirit was already hovering over the waters. He certainly did not create- his own Spirit, or He would not exist.-or His word, or He could not speak. Both were always there as part of Him. They are His own acting power, His attributes not partners. He revealed His nature fully in the Messiah, and from that time onwards. Allah-hu-akbar. He is greater than your limited thinking of, limited, inactive, remote, impersonal, indifferent, in-compassionate, absurd singleness. For this reason He often talks as “We” in the Quran too. Have you ever noticed?
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It doesn’t make sense to me. Christians believe in Trinity because the preacher told you to. There is no specific statement in the Bible describing it. They just make excuses, for example like the comparation between the Trinity and the sun, air warmth etc.
Let me put it in this, God creates human with sin, then impregnate a woman, His creation, to born Him then He let his creations to kill Him for the purpose of dismissing their sin. It doesn’t make sense to any human logic at all.
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Putri,
Thank you for your comment. What law of logic is the doctrine of the Trinity violates? If you cannot tell me, your statement is meaningless.
As the matter of fact, if you learn thoroughly the whole Gospel you will find the Trinity God. The Trinity is one God who exists in three persons in co-equal, co-powerful, and co-eternal. Without one of them, there is no God.
The verses that support this Trinity God: “ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” (Injil, Matthew 28:19), “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all” (Injil, 2 Corinthians 13:14), etc. Why would the Bible mentions these three persons if there were not there?
Also, God doesn’t create human with sin. It’s always pure. Yet men have fallen into sin because of their disobedience. There is no way for human beings not to be bound with sin by their own efforts. That’s why God’s word incarnated into flesh, named Isa Al-Masih. “(Remember) when the angels said: ‘O Maryam! Verily, Allah gives you good news of a Word from Him: Son of Maryam, his name will be Messiah, Isa, held in honor of this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest (to Allah); He shall speak to the people in childhood and in manhood, and shall be one of the righteous.’ She said: ‘O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me?’ He said: ‘Even so: Allah creates what He wills” (Qs 3:35-46).
He came so that you and me can be saved from sin’s punishment. But He must die to pay the penalty of sin. But He also rose from the death, which means He gave life to whoever believes in him. To learn better of this explanation, please go to: https://www.isaandislam.com/way-of-salvation/salvation-according-to-the-qur-an-and-the-injil.html
Blessings.
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In Islam, we honorably respect Jesus as we respect Prophet Muhammad.
In the holy Quran, Jesus is mentioned with his miracle more than in the Bible, but to islam, it does not make him as God or son of God. According to Islam, Jesus is one of the best human. We believe that at the end of the world, Jesus will descend from heaven. Once again, Jesus will live, reveal the truth and lead all Muslims and Christians against Dajjal, Jewish and hypocrites.
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Uya Hunowu,
That’s right. Jesus is alive because He has defeated death. That is why all mankind will be judged by Jesus who is the Straight Way to Allah (Quran 43:61) because Jesus is the appointed Sign and Mercy from Allah (Quran 19:21) and the Messiah (Savior) of all people (Quran 3:45).
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There is no mention of Trinity in the Bible. That is a term that man has devised.
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Michael,
There is One God of the Bible (Deuteronomy 6:4, 1 Corinthians 8:5) who was revealed in Jesus Christ because of His amazing love for mankind (John 3:16, Romans 5:8).
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My understanding of Jesus being the way is to follow his way, being the truth is to believe in his teachings as a teacher who has never lied and being the life is to live an exemplary life so you can go to heaven. Jesus, according to Quran, is a sign of the end time and has no connection to any other “appointed sign.”
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T.AbdulRasheed,
Jesus (Isa) is the appointed sign from God as the Messiah (Savior) to all people as written in the Bible (Isaiah 7:14, Titus 2:13) and the Quran (3:45, 19:21, 43:63). He is the Savior of all people who gives eternal life to those who follow his way and teaching.
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Stefan,
When you add up things you get multiples of that thing.
God, The God of Abraham, The God of Isaac, and The God of Jacob is not a ‘thing.’ He is the ultimate being from whom all beings derive their existence. If you try to see Him as a ‘thing’ that you can analyze, then you would already be proving yourself to be an idolater. For it is only idols – which have finite natures and structures – that your finite mind can analyze. They are what you can COUNT and ADD up in the way you understand (or better still – MISUNDERSTAND) the Christian concept of the Trinity.
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Stefan & Gande,
Just to help clarify:
To use a very simple analogy, compare the Trinity to a book. A book has length, width, and thickness. The length is not the book’s width, the width is not the book’s thickness. These three dimensions can be described separately, yet they are connected together. If you remove one dimension, you are no longer describing a book. In the same way, the Godhead (the Trinity) has three separate members that are connected together, and if you try to remove one you no longer have the Trinity.
Also consider this:
The word for “one” is the Hebrew word ‘echad. (This Old Testament text was originally written in Hebrew). This is the same Hebrew word that is used for “one” in Genesis 2:24—Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. When a man and woman are married they do not melt into one human being, becoming some sort of hybrid. Yet, they do become “one.”
This is not to say that a book or a couple have the attributes or distinctions that the Trinity encompasses. It is only to explain by examples how “one” can be “more than one”.
While the three members of the Trinity are distinct, this does not mean that any is inferior to the other. Instead, they are all identical in attributes. They are equal in power, love, mercy, justice, holiness, knowledge, and all other qualities.
God is one in essence, but three in Person.
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Stefan,
Also be aware that the idea that Christians worship many gods is gotten from Muhammad’s orientation in idolatry. Then again, Muhammad’s Allah is a false god because somewhere in the Quran, Allah seems to be ignorant of the fact that, even if Christians worshiped three (3) gods as Muhammad and Islam claim, Allah would have known that there wasn’t any period in Christian or church history when Christians took:
1. Allah
2. Isa, and
3. Maryam (all, according to the Quran) as members of the Trinity!
It’s disheartening to see that the Allah of Islam, who is “all knowing’ does NOT know that Christians have never even considered Mary a god, or equated her to the Holy Spirit – except of course those phantom Christians whom Muhammad and Allah (his partner) created in his Quran.
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Please my fellow Christians, there’s nothing like three Gods in one. Go to your Bible to 1st John chapter 5 (read all). There are three that bear witness and only witness in heaven. God is ONE and will remain the uncreated being.