ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS MUSLIMS ASK
– A FOUR PART SERIES –

Part Four

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TRINITY
AND OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT GOD

By Richard P Bailey

INTRODUCTION:

THE MOST COMMON QUESTIONS OR OBJECTIONS that Muslims ask Christians are related to the following four general areas:

1. The Person of Jesus (God incarnate, Son of God, Trinity, etc.)
2. The Crucifixion of Jesus
3. The Bible (contents, changes, etc.)
4. The Nature And Character of God

THIS IS PART FOUR, WHICH DEALS WITH QUESTIONS IN THE FOURTH AREA.

LIST OF QUESTIONS IN PART FOUR:

#1.  “HOW CAN YOU BELIEVE IN THE ‘TRINITY’?  God is one, not three!”

#2.  "WHY DO CHRISTIANS COVER UP THEIR UNBELIEVABLE TEACHINGS ABOUT GOD (Deity of Christ, Trinity, etc) BY CALLING THEM ‘A MYSTERY’?"  

#3.  “ISN’T THE ‘SPIRIT OF GOD’ THE ANGEL GABRIEL OR SOME OTHER ANGEL?”

#4.  “WHAT DOES THE BIBLE MEAN THAT GOD CREATED MAN ‘IN HIS OWN IMAGE’?  GOD IS NOT PHYSICAL AND HAS NO ‘IMAGE,’ AND BESIDES, MAN COULD NEVER BE LIKE GOD.”

#5.  "ISN'T IT WRONG FOR US TO SING OR LAUGH DURING OUR WORSHIP OF GOD?"

#6.  "HOW IS IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO HAVE AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH ALMIGHTY GOD?"

#7.  “WE DO NOT BELIEVE IN ‘GOD;’ WE BELIEVE IN ‘ALLAH.’  ‘ALLAH’ IS HIS PERSONAL NAME, BUT ‘GOD’ IS A GENERIC TERM USED FOR IDOLS AS WELL.”

#8.  “HOW CAN YOU BELIEVE IN ‘ORIGINAL SIN’? ISN’T IT UNJUST FOR GOD TO CONDEMN US FOR SINS WHICH ADAM AND EVE COMMITTED?”

#9.  “DOES THE BIBLE SAY GOD GOT TIRED AND HAD TO REST ON THE 7^TH DAY OF CREATION?”  

With each question we will first try to understand why Muslims ask the question.  Then we will look at both short and longer answers, and then finally, in some cases, we will look at answers from the Qur’an.  (All Qur’an quotations are from the Yusuf Ali translation)

QUESTION #1: “HOW CAN YOU BELIEVE IN THE ‘TRINITY’?  God is one, not three!  You are guilty of idolatry!”

WHY DO MUSLIMS OBJECT TO THIS?  See The Qur’an’s Teaching:

ANSWER #1:  Messiah Jesus Himself Said That There is Only One God:

ANSWER #2:   Christianity Does Not Teach That There Are Three Gods!  The Bible Categorically States at Least 30 Times That There is Only One God!:

ANSWER #3:  The Trinity Is Clearly Seen in God’s Act of Creation.  Although the word, “trinity” itself does not appear in the Bible, the triune (three in one) nature of God appears repeatedly.  As an example, look at what is written about God’s method of creation:

First of all the Bible Says That God Created all Things Alone: 

And yet, in the Torah’s account of creation we see the triune nature of God’s creating work:

The three “members” of the “Trinity” involved in creation seen in these verses are:

Secondly, God Uses Several Human Metaphors to Describe the Means He Used to Create Everything.  These metaphors are used not only to explain to us God’s meaning, but they also indicate the “members” of the “Trinity” involved in creation.   God created everything alone by means of Four “Parts” of Himself …

1) by His Right Hand - His hand of Power:  God also said,

Does this mean that God's right hand is the creator and not God, or that God’s right hand is a second God in addition to God Himself?  Of course not!  God alone created everything but He did it by His own right hand, which is a human metaphor for His Power.  Thus we read that God,

When Mary was told by an angel that she would have a son, she asked how that could be possible.

It is clear from this verse that God the Holy Spirit is also called God’s Power.  We also see from this verse that Jesus the Messiah (God’s eternal Word) was brought into this world by God’s Power.  Remember that we have already seen that the Spirit of God was present and involved in creation:

And we read that Messiah Jesus also is God’s power:

2) by His Wisdom:

Did God ever exist without His wisdom? Of course not!  Did God create his own wisdom? No!  Is God’s wisdom a second God in addition to God Himself?  Absolutely not!  God says that his wisdom is "from eternity, from the beginning." God’s wisdom was "brought forth,” (brought into use) and “appointed” (selected for use) at the time of creation, and so God alone created everything but He did it by His own wisdom.

Then we read that Messiah Jesus is also God’s wisdom:

3) by The Word of God:  God further said,

These verses clearly show that God alone created everything by His Word.  The Word of God is the communication or manifestation of God.  God’s Word is God Himself; not a second God. God created everything simply by commanding it to “Be!”  Yes, God alone created everything, but He did it by His Word.

Messiah Jesus is the eternal Word of God, who “became” a human being by the power of God:

4) by The Breath of His Mouth; The Breath of Life:   Also God said,

These verses clearly show that God alone created everything, but He did it by breathing into it the Breath of Life. 

Many Verses Indicate that Jesus the Messiah is God’s Life:

ANSWER #4:  Two Illustrations From Nature:

Human beings:  When we humans talk about ourselves we refer to ourselves as “I.” When a man dies, his body goes into the grave, but his soul doesn’t.  Which one is the real person - his body or his soul?   A man might say, "I said I would do it." or "I gave you my word."  In the first statement he identifies his word (“said”) as himself (“I”).  In the second statement he distinguishes his word (“my word”) from himself (“I”).  He is one person, yet he exists in several entities – word, body, spirit and soul, mind, etc. and he talks about his spirit, his mind, his word, etc, as if they are all separate entities, although he is only one being.  Human beings are triune beings – body, soul/mind and spirit – three in one.

The sun:  When I look toward the sun I might say, “I see the sun,” but I actually see only the light of the sun which makes things visible on the earth.  In the same way, when I feel the warmth of the sunshine I might say, “I feel the sun,” but I actually feel only the heat of the sun which gives life to the plants and animals of the earth.  Science tells me that in reality the sun is burning gases, which I can neither see nor feel.  What I see is the light from the burning gases and what I feel is the heat from the burning gases.  The one sun has three distinct entities – gas (source), light and heat – all existing simultaneously, and I refer to each of them as “the sun.”  We could say that the sun is a triune being – gas (source), light and heat – three in one.

We could compare God “the Father" to the gas, which is the source of the light and the source of the heat.  God the Father is the source, whom we cannot see nor feel:

We could compare God “the Son" to the light of the sun, which reveals the sun so that we can see it:

And we can compare God “the Holy Spirit" to the heat of the sun, which we feel and which has power to give life:

All three are one God, but they each have their functions.  For example, the only way we can know about the sun’s source is through the sun’s light and heat, but without the source there could be no light or heat.  Likewise the only way we can know God is by His revelation of Himself to us through His Word (Jesus) and through His Holy Spirit.

[Other illustrations from nature are: 

- Space is a trinity with three dimensions (height, length, and depth).  Without all three dimensions, there is no space.

- Time is a trinity with three aspects (future, present, past).  Without all three aspects, there is no time.]

ANSWER #5:  God’s Oneness (Tauhid) is Not as Much Singleness As it is Uniqueness and “United-ness”:

In the well-known “Shema” found in the Torah we read,

When the Bible says that “God is One” is doesn’t mean simply that He is the only God, which He certainly is.  The Shema clearly shows that His oneness means:  1) He is totally distinct or unique from all other entities – one of a kind; and  2) He is completely united in Himself:

1)  He is Totally Distinct and Unique:   Notice that what the Lord is saying in this passage is not a command to believe that God is one.  His oneness is stated as a fact, not to be disputed.  Instead the command is to love God will all of our being!  It is a logical deduction that if there is only one God – the Almighty Creator of all that exists, we must respond by loving Him with all of our being (heart, soul and strength)!  To say we believe there is one God, and yet share our love for Him with several other entities (self interests, idols, personal beliefs, etc.), is not only idolatry, it is an open act of rebellion, putting ourselves in the same state as Satan and his demons:

2)  He is Completely United in Himself:   In the original text, the Hebrew word for “one” is e’had, which is used to describe other things that are united.  For example:  God used the same word in the following verses:

QUESTION #2:  "WHY DO CHRISTIANS COVER UP THEIR ABSURD TEACHINGS ABOUT GOD (Deity of Christ, Trinity, etc.) BY CALLING THEM ‘A MYSTERY’?  ISLAM IS CLEAR IN SAYING GOD IS ONE!"

WHY DO MUSLIMS THINK THIS WAY?  Western converts to Islam often say they were relieved to find that Islam’s teaching about God is straight forward, simple and void of the “mysteries” of Christianity, such as the Trinity and the deity of Christ, which they claim never made sense to them.

ANSWER:  If, after so many years of scientific research, the physical universe, in which we live, is still beyond our complete understanding, why should we think it strange that we cannot fully understand the nature of the invisible Creator of this universe?  In fact if we could completely understand God, then we would be equal to Him!   Every honest person will admit that there are many things about God that he/she believes but does not fully understand.  The Bible tells us:

The very idea that there is a God, requires belief in the supernatural.  Believing that Allah created everything out of nothing simply by saying, “Be!”, or that the Lord Jesus was born of a virgin, or that Moses parted the Red Sea by stretching out his rod, is totally unscientific and mysterious!  Who are we to tell God that He cannot be a Triune being and Jesus cannot be God because those ideas are beyond our comprehension?  Muslim scholars also have long said that Allah is unlike anyone or anything, and that those who think they know what Allah is like, can be sure He is not at all what they are thinking He is.

A “mystery” is something we cannot understand ourselves, because we lack some particular knowledge vital to understanding it.  Therefore a mystery about God can only be understood when God reveals it to us.

ANSWERS FROM ISLAM:

a)  The Qur’an Agrees That God is Beyond Our Comprehension:

b)  The Qur’an – the Uncreated Speech of God:  Is the Christian teaching about the deity of Christ really any different from Islam’s teaching about the Qur’an being “the uncreated speech of God”?  After many years of struggling over the question as to the true nature of the Qur’an, Muslim theologians finally concluded that the Word of God is “the eternal, uncreated speech of God.”  Even though some would argue that this conclusion means that there are two Gods, they further concluded that this truth in no way affects God’s Tauhid (oneness, unity).  God is still one God.

QUESTION #3:    “ISN’T THE ‘SPIRIT OF GOD’ THE ANGEL GABRIEL OR SOME OTHER ANGEL?  Angels are spirits and all spirits are created beings, so we believe the ‘Spirit of God’ is a created angel.  God is not a spirit, he is God!”

ANSWER:  The Bible teaches that God’s Spirit is not a created being.  He was never created, but was present at the time of creation:

The Bible also teaches that God is spirit:

Therefore, while most spirits (angels) are created beings, God Himself is a Spirit being, and He is certainly not created!  The Bible also teaches that the Spirit of God is God Himself:

[Notice in the last reference that the words, “your Spirit,” “your presence” and “you,” are all used synonymously for God.  He is not divided.  He is One, and He is Spirit.]

At the same time the “Spirit of God” (the “Holy Spirit” or “God’s Spirit”) is united with the Son of God and God the Father as one triune God.

[For a fuller explanation of the trinity, go back to Question #1.]

ANSWER FROM THE QUR’AN:  Notice that the Qur’an states that God breathed “something of His Spirit” into Adam when he created him.  This shows that the Spirit of God is inside of God, and cannot be a created angel:

QUESTION #4:  “WHAT DOES THE BIBLE MEAN THAT GOD CREATED MAN ‘IN HIS OWN IMAGE’?  GOD IS NOT PHYSICAL AND HAS NO ‘IMAGE,’ AND BESIDES, MAN COULD NEVER BE LIKE GOD.”

WHY DO MUSLIMS THINK THIS WAY?:

ANSWER: 

The Bible agrees that God is not physical, but is Spirit; He has no physical body:

And yet the Bible says that mankind was created in God’s “image.”

Since mankind was created “in the image of God” and God is not physical, the “image of God” cannot be physical.  It is absurd to think that we physically look like God.  We were created to be like God in some other way.

Also it is clear we could never be like God in His unlimited capabilities (creative power, complete wisdom, etc.).  There is certainly no other eternal creator like Him:

So in what way were we created to be like God?  We can see from the following verses that God created us to be like himself in character; not in physical appearance or in his powers as God.  For example, God told the people of Israel through his prophet Moses,

Almighty God is saying that the reason mankind should be holy is because he created mankind to be like Himself in character – to be holy like God is holy.  Many years later God spoke to his people through his apostles Peter and Paul repeating what he had said to Israel through the prophet Moses:

God created us to be like Himself in the same way a son should be like his father.  He created us to be just like He is – loving, indiscriminate, kind, merciful, just, forgiving, pure, etc.

Sadly, we are not living lives of holiness and purity, but often have chosen to reject being what God created us to be!  We have followed the rebellion of our first forefather, Adam, and have violated God’s purpose in creating us.  That is why Almighty God, in His love for us, sent His Son to become like us in order to enable us to become more like Himself, as He originally intended us to be:

ANSWER FROM THE QUR’AN:  Notice that the Qur’an also indicates Adam was created by God breathing into him His own Spirit; instilling within him something of himself – something God-like (in His image).  The Qur’an even goes so far as to say that God demanded that the angels fall down and worship man:

QUESTION #5: "ISN'T IT WRONG FOR US TO SING OR LAUGH DURING OUR WORSHIP OF GOD?  Such emotions are human, and God is far above and totally separate from all human emotions such as laughter, joy, grief, or love."

WHY DO MUSLIMS OBJECT TO THIS?  The Qur’an’s Teaching:

Islam teaches that God is very great (“Allah-u-Akbar”).  In fact, He is so great He is totally unique and not in any way like anything or anyone in all of His creation.  Muslim theologians take it one step further when they say God is so unique that He could not have any of our human emotions such as laughter, joy, grief, love, etc.  These emotions, they argue, are expressions of our human deficiencies and human needs.  For example, we humans love because we need to be loved.  God needs nothing!

ANSWER:

a)  Yes, God is Unique:  The Bible also teaches God’s uniqueness in several verses in Isaiah:

b)  But We Were Created to be Like God in Some Way:  Certainly there is no other God; no one completely like God or equal to Him in that sense.  But does that mean we are not similar to our Creator in any way?  The Bible tells us that we were created to reflect His image:

c)  God was not created in our image; we were created in His image!  Certainly God is not like us created human beings, but we created human beings were created to be like God!  Sadly, because of our sin that image of God in us has been largely blurred, but it is still evident.

The real reason we have emotions is because God has emotions!  I love because God loves, and God’s love is 100 times deeper and more profound than my love.  God’s love is perfect love while my love is deeply flawed by sin.

As I study the Scriptures I see more and more that God is certainly very emotional!  He has many emotions.  Here is a list of some of God’s deep emotions mentioned in Scripture:

grief – “The Lord was grieved that He had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.” (Genesis 6:6) -  [Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who firmly believed that God shares the suffering of his people (Isaiah 63:9, Acts 9:5), said we need to "stand by God in his hour of grieving".]

distress – “He said, ‘Surely they are my people’ … In all their distress he too was distressed …” (Isaiah 63:8,9)

wrath, indignation – “Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.” (Colossians 3:6);

“God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses his wrath every day.”  (ESV: “… a God who feels indignation every day.”)  (Psalm 7:11)

hatred – “For I the Lord … hate robbery and iniquity”;  Malachi 2:16  “’I hate divorce,’ says the Lord God of Israel, ‘and I hate a man’s covering himself with violence…’” (Isaiah 61:8)

jealousy – “You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I , the Lord your God, am a jealous God …” (Exodus 20:5);  “Thus says the Lord of hosts:  ‘I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath’.” (Zechariah 2:8)

envy – “Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?” (James 4:5)

laughter in derision – “The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them” (Psalm 2:4);

“But the Lord laughs at the wicked …” (Psalm 37:13)

rejoicing – “as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.” (Isaiah 62:5)

singing for joy – “The Lord you God is with you… He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

delight – “… may they always say, ‘The Lord be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.’” (Psalm 35:27)

pleasure – “It pleased the Lord for the sake of his righteousness to make his law great and glorious.” (Isaiah 42:21)

compassion –  “My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused.  I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim.” (Hosea 11:8); “…your tenderness and compassion are withheld from us.” (Isaiah 63:15)

love – “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God … because God is love.” (1 John 4:7,8);  “The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” (Psalm 147:11)

The Bible indicates that God has all these emotions, and we have them because we were created in His image. We sing, laugh, cry, get angry, grieve, love and rejoice because God does!

d)  So what does this mean for you and me today?  Why did God give us these emotions?  As far as I can understand this, Almighty God must want us to have an intimate relationship with Him, and so He created us with the capacity to experience the same emotions He has.

QUESTION #6: "HOW IS IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO HAVE AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH ALMIGHTY GOD?"

ANSWER: God is so great (Allah-u-Akbar) and His love is so complete, that He was able to create us to have an intimate relationship with Himself.  It seems clear from Scripture that God Himself wants that relationship with us.  Just look at what God's Word says:

1)  God has always intended to live with and among His people:

(a)  With Adam & Eve In the Garden of Eden:

(b)  Among the People of Israel:

(c)  Among Humanity:

(d)  With Those Who Repent and Submit to Him:

2)  Now God in His Holy Spirit has chosen to live in the life of believers – those who trust in Jesus their Messiah:

3)  Moreover, this relationship with God has the potential of being more intimate than any human relationship!  The most intimate human relationships (married spouses or mother and child) are limited to verbal and physical communication, but when God’s Spirit lives inside us and communicates spiritually with our spirit we are able to be closer and more intimate with Him than with any human being:

QUESTION #7:    “WE DO NOT BELIEVE IN ‘GOD;’ WE BELIEVE IN ‘ALLAH.’  ‘ALLAH’ IS HIS PERSONAL NAME, BUT ‘GOD’ IS A GENERIC TERM USED FOR IDOLS AS WELL.”

ANSWER:  The Almighty’s Name In Three Languages:

It is true that “God” is a generic word for any kind of deity in English.  However, normally it is capitalized to distinguish it from “gods,” and thus it conveys the concept that He is The God, meaning the only true God.  Some Christians have tried to transliterate a Hebrew name into English to make it more specific, but “God” is the English name.

In Hebrew the name most commonly used for God in the Torah (Old Testament) is “YHWH.” Out of reverence the Jews never pronounce God’s name, and so the sound and Roman spelling of these four Hebrew letters is unknown.   It is sometimes pronounced, “Jehovah,” but more commonly, “Yahweh.”  It literally means “He Is” or “He (who) Is.”  It was first introduced to Moses by YHWH Himself:

Likewise, the Arabic name, “Allah” is viewed by some as a contraction of the Arabic definite article “Al” (the) with the generic word “ilah” (deity, god).  Thus “Al-ilah” became “Allah,” meaning, The Deity or The (Only) God.  Part of the Islamic creed is “There is no ilah but Allah,” which could be translated, “There is no god except The God.”  Others believe “Allah” originally came from the Aramaic/Syriac “Alaha” meaning “God” or “The God.” (see this article).

Actually, when we begin to think about it, personal names are used for people as a means of distinguishing one from all the others.  Since there is no other God, to give Him a personal name is like saying He is one out of many, which would be blasphemous!  That is why God has said, “I am” so just “call me ‘He (Who) is.’”  He is simply The God!

QUESTION #8:  “HOW CAN YOU BELIEVE IN ‘ORIGINAL SIN’? ISN’T IT UNJUST FOR GOD TO CONDEMN US FOR SINS WHICH ADAM AND EVE COMMITTED?”

WHY DO MUSLIMS THINK THIS WAY?  See the Qur’an’s Teaching:

ANSWER #1:  What Is The “Original Sin” And How Does it Affect Us?

The term, “Original Sin” is not found in the Bible and it was created by theologians to describe the truth taught in the Bible that because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, we have inherited their judgment and “fallen sin nature.”  The Bible teaches that Adam and Eve were created innocent of any sin, and they were given freedom to obey or disobey what God told them.  They chose to disobey and because we were in them when they sinned, that “original sin” has negatively affected us, their descendents (all mankind).  [Read Genesis chapters one, two and three.]

What the Bible really talks about is not so much the original sin itself, but the negative effects of that sin in all of our lives.  The affects of that original sin are manifested in several ways: 1) The earth we live on seems to be cursed in various ways – weeds and bugs destroy our crops, there are floods and other disasters, we are subject to many diseases, women suffer pain in childbirth, etc.  2) We have an inherited tendency toward evil, causing selfishness, wars, deceit, hatred, etc. and  3) We all die sooner or later.  The Bible tells us that in the beginning God created everything and “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”  (Genesis 1:31).  Although the Lord God had warned Adam that death would result from disobedience (Genesis 2:17), He did not create death nor did He create anything evil. Where did those things come from?

The Bible says these negative affects have come from our first parents, Adam and Eve:  The things parents do affect their children, and we have inherited these negative things from our original parents, who chose to disobey God.  However, we cannot simply blame Adam and Eve.  Yes, we have inherited the inclination to sin from them, but we still have a free will, and we ourselves choose to sin against God and against each other.  The Bible says:

If you don't want to call it “original sin,” then call it something else, but we have to accept the fact that we all suffer the consequences of what Adam and Eve did.

ANSWER #2:   Is It Fair or Just For God to Punish Us For What Adam Did?

a)  Does it seem just or fair that we were born on this corrupt, cursed earth instead of in Paradise where our ancestors Adam and Eve originally lived?   Why were we born on this earth with its disease, floods, earthquakes and weeds?  Why couldn’t we have been born in Paradise like our first parents were?  Some might say that God created the earth in this cursed condition, but God doesn’t create evil.  He created everything good.  We share the same fate with Adam and Eve of having to live on this cursed earth because we were in them – in their bodies – when they sinned and when they were banished from Paradise by God.  That may not seem fair or just, but it is a reality we can’t deny:

b)  Does it seem just or fair that we all have a strong inclination from childhood to be selfish, to lie, steal, cheat, etc.?  People have been fighting and killing each other from the beginning when Adam’s son, Cain got jealous and killed his brother Abel.  Mankind not only has been killing each other, but also creating even more damage to the natural environment of the earth in our selfish pursuit of more money.  Why were we born evil in this way?  Some people say we are this way, but God created mankind weak. God did not create us weak.  He created man to be His viceroy to rule the earth.  Everything God created was good.  Others say children are born innocent and sinless, but later get corrupted by their society and environment.  Anyone who has a child knows that the smallest child is driven by a basic selfishness long before he/she even begins to understand right and wrong.  Parents continually have to teach their children to do what is right, but they never have to teach them to do what is wrong.  We have these in‑built, evil and selfish tendencies because we have inherited them from our ancient ancestors, Adam and Eve.  They corrupted their noble and pure nature by disobeying God, and became sinners by nature.  They have passed this nature on to us their children.  You may not want to believe this, and it may not seem fair, but you have to face the reality of our own evil nature:

c)  Does it seem just or fair that we are all destined to die one day because of Adam’s sin?  Death was the heart of God’s punishment for Adam and Eve’s disobedience.  He warned them, “But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:17).  God created mankind to live forever, free to eat from the tree of life He put in the middle of Paradise.  Adam and Eve would still be alive if they had not disobeyed Him.  You may not want to believe we face death because of Adam’s original sin, but death is a reality we have to face no matter what you believe:

Death has two parts:  The first part is physical death when our spirit is separated from our body and our body decays in the grave.  The second part is spiritual death, when our spirit is separated from God and tormented for eternity in hell.

d)  God is not unjust, and because of His love for us, He has provided a way for us to escape this death sentence imposed on us by the sin of our ancestors, Adam and Eve, as well as by our own sin.  He sent Jesus the Messiah to conquer death for us:

ANSWER FROM ISLAM:   The same three results of Adam’s “Original Sin” are also found in the Qur’an’s account of Adam’s “fall” in Sura 7:19-25 (also Sura 2:35-38), where we see Adam and Eve:  1) being cast down on the earth,  2) being cursed with a sinful, evil nature (“enmity between yourselves”), and  3) destined to face death.

QUESTION #9:  “DOES THE BIBLE SAY GOD GOT TIRED AND HAD TO REST ON THE 7^TH DAY OF CREATION?”

ANSWER #1: God Rested “From” His Work, Not Because of it:  God didn’t rest because He was tired, but because He had finished His work.  The Torah says:

“Rested” is a human metaphor used here to convey the truth of His having completed His work.  Another similar example is found in both the Bible and the Qur’an depicting God seated on His throne.  In this metaphor, being “seated” is used to convey the fact that God has all authority, not that He got tired of standing and had to sit down!

ANSWER #2: The Bible Clearly Teaches That God Never Gets Tired:

ANSWER #3:  Jesus Said That Although God Completed His Work of Creation, He Has Other Work, and Has Never Stopped Working.  In Fact, He Even Works on The Sabbath:

God does not need a day of rest.  We do, and He created the Sabbath for us to set apart for Him:

God has been doing a different kind of work ever since He finished his work of creation.  What kind of work do you think God is doing?: