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“Jews, Muslims and Christians all worship the same God.” Many like saying this, but is it true?
It’s meant to be a “unifying” statement. Perhaps people hope that folks will get along better if they believe this.
While I am all for getting along better, the statement is just wrong.
Indeed, these are the 3 great monotheistic religions of the world. All 3 believe that there is only one God. This is different from polytheistic religions such as Hinduism which holds that there are millions of gods, Shintoism and others.
But still the statement is fundamentally flawed because the God each religion worships is so vastly different.
Here are 3 Proofs Jews, Muslims and Christians Do NOT Worship the Same God:
01. Christians believe that there is one God, who exists in 3 persons.
All mainstream Christians believe in the 3 in 1, from Catholics to Orthodox to Pentecostals to Fundamentalists.
Christians get this from the clear teaching of the Bible that there is one God, who exists in 3 persons.
Here are a few representative Scriptures:
“The Word [Jesus] was God.” (John 1:1)
“When they denied him, Jesus said, ‘If you knew me, you would know my Father also’” (John 8:19)
“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16 ESV)
“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.” (Matthew 28:19 ESV)
Some point out that the word “Trinity” is not in the Bible, which is true. But the concept is clearly taught in Scripture as explained in this excellent article on the Trinity.
02. While Christianity believes that Jesus is God, that belief is offensive to Judaism.
Jews proclaim in the great Shema, repeated morning and night by Jews since ancient times, “Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.”
To suggest to a Jew that Jesus is God is confounding, if not offensive.
What is ironic is that Jesus was a Jew. So Christians follow a Jew that Jews reject as the Messiah. They’re still awaiting the Messiah.
“He [Jesus] came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.” (John 1:11-13 NLT)
Judaism rejects Jesus thus they reject the Godhead of Christianity, the Trinity, the 3 in 1. They worship the Father, but not the Son.
By their own statements, Jews worship a different God and even take offense to the God of Christians. Christians and Jews do NOT worship the same God.
Please understand that I’m not saying I like this—I’m just sharing the actual state of affairs. I’d much prefer that all Jews accepted the Messiah Jesus Christ (as thankfully some do.)
03. While Christianity believes that Jesus is God, that belief is reprehensible to Islam.
Muslims proclaim in the Shahada which they recite regularly: “There is no god but God. Muhammad is the messenger of God.”
For Muslims, suggesting that Jesus is God (the Son) is a violation of the first part of this proclamation and therefore an offense to Allah (God).
Many Muslims consider the belief that Jesus is God to be “more offensive than any other Christian belief.”
So do Christians and Muslims worship the same God? No, their own statements make it clear that that is an offensive suggestion.
And to deny the Son is a denial of the God of the Bible and its salvation: “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:12 ESV)
Again, I’m not saying I like this, I’m just sharing the actual state of affairs.
My strong preference would be that all would worship the same God, the God of the Bible, the 3 in 1!
In conclusion, one of the biggest objections people have to the Trinity is that it is difficult to comprehend. The problem with this objection is that there are many things that are difficult to comprehend, yet that doesn’t make them untrue. For example:
The vastness of the universe
How the universe came into being
Eternity
The power of the sun
If there is anything that should be difficult to fully understand, it is the Almighty, including the Tri-unity of God!
For a helpful explanation of the Trinity, see my article “5 Keys That Help Unlock the Mystery of the Trinity.”