The church does not serve the world by muting the truth. She serves the world by bearing faithful witness to it, patiently, honestly, and without fear. Christ is not an idea to be negotiated. He is Lord. The gospel does not need supplementing, softening, or strategic silence. It saves because it is true.

This past Sunday, I was listening to Jon Benzinger, my pastor at Redeemer Bible Church, preach on truth as part of a new sermon series on what we believe. He began where Scripture always does, by defining truth not as a feeling or a social agreement, but as something objective, revealed, and binding. God’s Word is true. And ultimately, Jesus Christ is truth personified.

As I listened, a question kept coming to mind.

Why are so many Christians hesitant to say that Christianity is true—and that competing religious claims are false?

That question stayed with me long after the sermon ended. I made a note to myself that an article addressing false religions directly, beginning with the truth claims of Christianity itself, might be helpful for believers who feel that tension but lack the language to resolve it.

So on Thursdays, I plan to do just that. I’ll take up several of the world’s major false religions, starting with the exclusive truth claims of Christianity, and then examine why those competing systems fail when measured against the gospel.

This week, I want to begin with Islam.

This is not an article aimed at demeaning Muslims. Christians are commanded to love their neighbors, including their Muslim neighbors. But love does not require confusion, and kindness does not demand silence. The most loving thing we can do is speak truth clearly.

My hope is that this piece helps Christians stand more confidently on the truth of the gospel and speak it faithfully to others, without fear and without compromise.

The Comforting Illusion of “Common Ground”

At first glance, Islam can feel familiar.

It speaks insistently about one God. It traces its story back to Abraham. It refers to Jesus with reverence. It takes moral obligation seriously. That shared vocabulary tempts many Christians to assume proximity, to say, “We’re closer than we think,” or even, “We worship the same God.”

The language feels generous. It sounds like bridge-building. It signals goodwill.

But Scripture does not evaluate truth by familiarity. Often, familiarity is precisely how contradiction gains a foothold.

Why “Same God” Language Fails Biblically

When Christians claim that Islam and Christianity worship the same God, they usually mean something limited. Islam is not polytheistic. It speaks of a Creator. It uses the grammar of monotheism.

But Scripture does not define God by intent, vocabulary, or sincerity.

Scripture defines God by self-revelation.

The God of the Bible is not discovered through human reasoning or preserved by religious effort. He reveals Himself. He speaks. He acts. And He has done so decisively in His Son. The incarnation, the cross, and the resurrection are not peripheral doctrines. They are the center of who God has shown Himself to be.

Islam explicitly rejects that revelation.

The Qur’an does not merely omit divine sonship. It condemns it. Surah 5:72 states, “They have certainly disbelieved who say, ‘Allah is the Messiah, the son of Mary.’” Surah 112:3 removes any remaining ambiguity: “He neither begets nor is born.”

These are not misunderstandings. They are repudiations.

Scripture is equally clear about what follows from such denial:

“Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father.” (1 John 2:23, ESV)

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