Does God need to be defended by His people? How can we defend Him? By knowing who God is, you will understand whether God needs to be defended or not!
The Jakarta Governor’s Controversial Speech
In one of his speeches, the governor of Jakarta, Ahok, mentioned a verse from the Quran. Someone sabotaged his statement, making it sound negative. Social media blew up with reactions to Ahok’s statement, from people who don’t understand politics or religion at all, to religious clergy and politicians.
One reaction from a social media user was, “We will protect God; if we don’t protect Him then who else? Who else?”
Why Does God Need to be Defended?
The command to defend God in the Quran is very clear. “O you who have believed, if you support Allah, He will support you and plant firmly your feet” (Qs 47:7).
Thobary’s commentary explains that “supporting Allah” is to support Muhammad in delivering His beliefs, and supporting him in facing his enemies. Fighting Muhammad’s enemies also means fighting God’s enemies.
So does this mean that God the Creator and Most-loving asks His people to kill and fight? Is this how they defend God?
God is Love.
Through the Injil, we can know the God’s main character. He is personal, relational, and can be known. More than anything else, the Injil teaches that God is love (I John 4:8). He showed His love through Isa’s sacrifice on the cross. Isa chose to sacrifice Himself so “that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him” (Injil, Apostle John 3:15).
Does God Really Ask Us to Defend Him?
God, the Creator of everything, is not weak. We don’t need to defend God. He is the Most Strong God. He is the one who defends us. The 23rd Psalm of David says, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm of David 23:4). That’s the way it is. God helps His people, not the other way around.
The Choice is Yours!
Who are you going to choose? The weak God, who commands His people to kill in order to defend Him? Or the sovereign God of the heavens and the earth, who loved us enough to die for us?
[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.”]
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1. Do you agree that God has enemies and His people need to fight against them? Why?
2. Why does the Quran say that non-Muslims are God’s enemies who need to be fought?
3. Why does the God in the Quran contradict God in the Bible?
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