Hi guys,

I was sharing the gospel with a muslim student of mine today, and it seemed to go quite well... she didn't get angry with me and seemed to take notice when I explained the differences between a "works" religion and what we believe.

Went very well talking to her... however... she wants me to talk to her dad about it because he is "really knowledgable about religion and Quran and would be able to debate with you using facts".

I'll take him on, I don't care... but here's my question:

I'm not into wasting time going round in circles trying to prove the bible is reliable, or that Mohammad wasn't inspired by the angel gabriel etc etc, so what's the best way to circumnavigate all the debate and get to the heart of the matter?

I just want to give them the truth and let the Holy Spirit convict them, but I need to be able to get it all in without being interrupted? How would you guys do this?

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Bern
Evangelical
Kent UK

I would bring up the fact that God cannot be just if he allows sinners into heaven without an atoning sacrifice. This is the key point - that a holy God cannot just pardon sin, as the Muslim god does, without a pefect sacrifice. This makes the Muslim god unholy and unjust, since he can overlook the sin of Muslims. Our God must punish sin, and in his love and grace he pours out that punishment on Jesus, which was prophesied to Abraham, Moses, the Prophets, etc., whom Muslims claim as prophets.

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Austin
EE student at Texas State University
Member of Church of the Cross (PCA) in San Marcos, TX
Ps. 8:3-4 "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?"

I agree with the above, and said this to the girl I was talking to. She replied with "Allah punishes them in hell until their sins are paid for, then they go to heaven". She also said that they believe the bible is not inspired. I always find it hard to come back from that one... because its very long winded to prove the bible is inspired.

I did mention that if God is infinitely holy and infinitely just, then hell must be infinite too, because we can never in a million years pay for crimes against an infinitely holy God. I pointed out that according to what she was saying, Allah is unjust. At that point she told me her dad is better to talk to than her.

Well, one thing to remember is that Muslims call us "people of the Book" and believe that Jesus and the early disciples were Muslim.

I would show them that the idea that the Christ must suffer was not invented by the early church but was prophesied all throughout the Old Testament. That is the real sticking point for them, "If Jesus is God, He could not have died on the cross."

I would also point out that her own Qur'an says, *And do not dispute with the followers of the Book except by what is best, except those of them who act unjustly, and say: We believe in that which has been revealed to us and revealed to you, and our God and your God is One, and to Him do we submit" (29:46)

If they believe in the same God that we do, then He has revealed to us two completely different things...

Reminds me of Jesus' words in John 8. They want to be Abraham's descendants but they don't want the One whom Abraham pointed to!

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MarieP
Reformed Baptist Church
Louisville, KY

"I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant" (Gen. 32:10)