Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Allah - The God of Islam - Unloving

This is a continuation of a multi-post article. You can read the first post here and you can read the previous post here. This is also part of a larger series called "The Koran from a Christian perspective." You can find other posts in this series here.
The God if Islam is a God of hate. As much as we can hate, God hates even more; more  vehemently, more hatefully, and more eternally.
"Surely God's hatred is greater [more grievous] than your hatred one of another, when you were called unto [faith] belief, and disbelieved [remained unbelievers]." (Koran 40:10)
God's hatred is a hatred towards unbelievers and infidels. Rather than brimming with mercy and compassion, God feels nothing for them but hatred.
"God loves not the evildoers" (Koran 3:134)
"And do not dispute [plead not with us] on behalf of those who betray themselves [are self-deceivers]; surely God loves not the guilty traitor [deceitful, criminal]." (Koran 4:107)
"their unbelief [shall only increase] increases [for] the disbelievers only in hate in God's sight [hatred at the hands of God]" (Koran 35:37)
However, this stands in stark contrast to the nature of Christ who, rather than hatting unbelievers, loved them. One of the chief complaints of the religious elite towards Jesus was that He was not hard enough on sin. In fact, they accused Him of being, "a friend of tax collectors and sinners!" (Matthew 11:19) When sinners would come to Jesus, He was not repulsed by them but welcomed then, forgave them, and healed them of their diseases. When a notorious sinner barged into a dinner Jesus was having with some scribes and pharisees, it was the religious who judged and disdained her, not Jesus. "Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, 'If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.'" (Luke 7:39) Even when God saw the infant nation Israel, He did not look upon her sin but saw her with love and mercy.
“Your origin and your birth are from the land of the  Canaanite, your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. As for your birth, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing; you were not  rubbed with  salt or even wrapped in cloths. No eye looked with pity on you to  do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you. Rather you were thrown out into the open field, for you were abhorred on the day you were born. When I  passed by you and saw you squirming in your blood, I said to you while you were in your blood, ‘ Live!’ Yes, I said to you while you were in your blood, ‘ Live!’" (Ezekiel 16:3-6)
While it is the nature of the God of Muhammad to hate, it is the nature of the God of the scriptures to love and show mercy. By contrast, the God of Islam not only hates unbelievers but assails them as His enemy.
"Whosoever is an enemy to God and His angels and His Messengers, and Gabriel, and Michael [shall have God as his enemy] -- surely God is an enemy to the unbelievers.'" (Koran 2:92)
"and if We will, We drown them, then none have they to cry to [to help them], neither are they delivered [rescued], save as a mercy from Us, and enjoyment [that they may enjoy themselves] for a while." (Koran 36:43-44)
To be an enemy of God is a dreadful and dangerous them. If God is your enemy, no manner of friend or benefactor will serve to deliver you from His hand. When God makes war, He always wins! However, while the God of Islam is waging war with the infidels, we find the God of the scriptures condescending towards them to save them and to redeem them; treating them as friends while they treat Him as an enemy.
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." (Romans 5:8-10)
God does not hate us, He does not want to make war with us, rather He loves us and wants to reconcile us back to Himself. Even while we were His enemies, God came to Earth and died a shameful death that we might know and understand His love for us and that we might have a way back to God; back to being sons and daughters of God. This is an irrefutable statement that forever defines the true nature of God: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him." (John 3:16-17)

God, the true God, is love an He is loving. Any other characterization of God are but cheap imitations of Him. Oh, if only Muhammad had known the true and living God; the God who is love not hate!

More to come...
David Robison

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