Absolute Essentials Versus Very Important

In my most recent blog post, entitled, “Where Do Christians and Muslims Agree?” I emphasized some key areas in which Christians and Muslims do agree. The blog post concluded that one of those areas of agreement is the role of faith and works in salvation. To summarize: Salvation refers to how we attain assurance that we will go to Heaven when we die. The blog post referred to Christian and Muslim sources, in which both sources concluded that salvation is by grace, grace is available to those who put their faith in God for salvation. Such faith is only valid when it moves us to do good works, and our good works are a manifestation of our faith in and our submission to God. 

In this blog post, I want to distinguish between what is absolutely essential and what is very important. I believe Muslims and Christians can reasonably find agreement among the absolute essentials. I suggest that we should be more tolerant of areas that are very important but not absolutely essential. Why? Because we humans understand adequate truth but not perfect truth.

Let me illustrate. Someplace right now, there is, most likely, a group of Jews meeting in a Synagogue who are rejoicing that they alone possess the full truth of God. And there is also right now, most likely, a group of Muslims meeting in a Mosque, who are also rejoicing that they alone possess the full truth of God. My Muslim friends may have participated in such conversations. And there is also right now, most likely, a group of Christians meeting in a Church, who are also rejoicing that they alone possess the full truth of God. I confess that I, as a Christian, have been a part of such conversations on occasions.

Obviously, none of these three groups  agree about what the full truth of God is. Consequently, there are only two possible outcomes. The first is that only one of these groups can be right and possess the full truth of God. The second possibility, which is more probable, is that all of these groups possess something of the truth of God. This make sense because, as humans, we are incapable of perfectly understanding all of the mind of God. So the understanding that each group has independently attained is simply imperfect. This view by no means suggests that God is anything less than all-powerful and all-knowing. It does suggest, however, that we humans have limitations that do not allow us to grasp the full truth of God. Consequently, due to human limitations, Jews, Muslims, and Christians understand Divine truth adequately, but not perfectly.

So, concerning Muslims and Christians, we each have areas of belief in which we are not in agreement. I suggest that we should understand these areas to be very important, but not absolutely essential.  

What is absolutely essential? I suggest that when we instruct a new believer on how to become a Christian or a Muslim, we must limit ourselves to what is absolutely essential. Why? Because such new believers are not capable of understanding anything other than the basics of our respective faiths.  They are what the Holy Bible calls, "babes in Christ," who can only receive the milk of the word and not the meat.

For new believers, Muslims emphasize the Shahada; Christians emphasize Jesus Christ, peace be upon him, as Savior. These are the absolute essentials. Anything else may be very important, but are not absolutely essential. Why?  Because these minimal essentials are the first steps that makes a person Muslim or Christian. Are Christians and Muslims in agreement regarding these essentials? According to the Holy Quran, the Shahada is that there is only one God, and Mohammed is His messenger.  In the Gospel of John, chapter 17, Jesus, peace be upon him, gives us a Christian version of the Shahada, when he prays for his disciples (which would include all followers of Jesus).  His prayer: “This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3 ESV) 

In both Shahadas, Christianity and Islam acknowledge the only true God.  John 17:3 emphasizes the role of Jesus Christ, peace be upon him; the Shahada emphasizes the role of Muhammad, peace be upon him. Both the Muslim Shahada and the Christian Shahada emphasize faith in and submission to the only true God.  They are essentially the same.  My Muslim friends should keep in mind that when Jesus, peace be upon him,  gave us the Christian version of the Shahada, Mohammed, peace be upon him, had not yer been born.

In future blog posts, I will discuss areas that are very important to Islam and Christianity, and my hope is that we can recognize that these areas may be very important, but not absolutely essential. Therefore I contend that these areas should not prevent Christians and Muslims from appreciating that we are people of one God.  

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