A Respectful Invitation
Dear friends,
We write with respect, sincerity, and love.
Christians and Muslims share belief in one Creator, the importance of prayer and repentance, and the reality of the Day of Judgment. Yet we understand Jesus differently, especially His identity, His death and resurrection, and the way He brings us to God.
These differences should not produce hostility. They deserve honest and peaceful consideration.
We simply invite you to consider ʿĪsā al-Masīḥ—Jesus the Messiah—as He is revealed in the Gospel.
Jesus said:
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me."
Who Is Jesus?
The Qur'an gives Jesus distinctive honor. It calls Him the Messiah and a Word from God. It speaks of His birth to the virgin Mary and of extraordinary works performed by God's permission.
— Qur'an 3:45; 4:171; 19:19–21; 5:110
Christians and Muslims understand these descriptions differently, but they lead to an important question: Who is Jesus?
In the Gospel, Jesus is more than a prophet who delivers a message. He forgives sins, gives life, commands creation, receives honor, and calls people to come directly to Him. He asked His disciples:
"Who do you say that I am?"
The Gospel of John says:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God." "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us."
Christians believe that Jesus is the eternal Word who came among us in human life.
When Christians call Jesus the Son of God, we do not mean that God took a wife or produced a child physically. The title describes the unique and eternal relationship between Jesus and the Father. The Son came from the Father, reveals Him, and brings us near to Him. Jesus said:
"The one who has seen Me has seen the Father."
He is not the Father Himself, but He makes the Father known.
Why Jesus Came
Humanity's deepest problem is not only lack of guidance. We have sinned against God and one another. We have acted selfishly, harmed others, failed to love, and become separated from the holiness and life of God.
Our good deeds matter. God calls us to compassion, justice, repentance, and obedience. But good deeds cannot erase the wrong we have already done or restore by themselves the relationship that sin has broken.
This is why Jesus came—not only to teach us, but to give Himself for us. He said:
"The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."
John the Baptist said of Him:
"Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"
We recognize that the death of Jesus is one of the deepest differences between Christianity and Islam. Qur'an 4:157 is commonly understood to deny that Jesus was crucified. The Gospel proclaims that He truly died and rose again.
"Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and He was buried, and He was raised on the third day."
Christians do not see the cross as the defeat of Jesus. He gave His life willingly, carried our sins, and rose in victory over death. Jesus said:
"No one takes it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own."
His death and resurrection are at the heart of the Gospel.
The Way to the Father
There is one God—the Creator of heaven and earth. He has no equal, rival, or competitor. The Gospel does not teach that Jesus is a second god competing with the Father. It teaches that the one God has brought us near through His Son.
"There is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus."
Jesus is the One who reconciles us to God and brings us to the Father. Through Him, sinners can be forgiven, the distant can be brought near, and those separated from God can receive peace.
"I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father."
He did not merely point toward a path. He said:
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life."
Muslims and Christians both take the Day of Judgment seriously. Many Muslims also expect Jesus to return, although our understandings of His return differ.
"The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son."
Jesus is not presented only as a teacher from the past. He is the risen Lord who will return. Yet the One appointed to judge is also the One who gave Himself to save. He calls us now to repent, receive mercy, and begin a new life with God.
"The one who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life."
He also invites the weary:
"Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
The heart of the Gospel is not that human beings save themselves through effort. It is that God, in His love and mercy, acted through Jesus Christ to forgive us, reconcile us, and bring us back to Himself.
Consider Jesus
Dear friend,
We invite you to read the Gospel accounts and consider Jesus for yourself. Read His words. Notice how He treated the weak, the guilty, the suffering, and the rejected. Consider why He forgave sins, why He called people to come directly to Him, why He gave His life, and why His disciples proclaimed that He rose from the dead.
Ask the God of Abraham to guide you into truth and show you who Jesus truly is.
You may begin with the Gospel of Luke, which presents His compassion, teachings, death, and resurrection. You may also read the Gospel of John, which focuses deeply on His identity and His relationship with the Father.
This invitation is not a call to hatred toward your family, neighbors, or community. Jesus teaches us to love, forgive, speak truthfully, and seek peace. It is an invitation to place truth above fear and to respond to Jesus according to conscience before God.
"If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
May the God of Abraham guide all of us in truth, mercy, humility, and peace as we consider Jesus the Messiah.