IS JESUS OF THE BIBLE THE SAME AS ISA OF THE QUR’AN?

APOLOGETIC TEACHING:

TOPIC: IS JESUS OF THE BIBLE THE SAME AS ISA OF THE QUR’AN? (A Deep Comparative Defense.)

TEXT:

BIBLE: 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.

QURAN: Surah 4:157.

I. AIMS OF THE LESSON

1. To help the audience understand that the Jesus revealed in the Bible is completely different from the Isa described in the Qur’an.

2. To establish, through Scripture and evidence, the divinity, crucifixion, resurrection, and saving mission of Jesus Christ, contrasting them with the Qur’an’s denial of these truths.

3. To equip Christians with solid apologetic tools for explaining and defending why the Jesus of the gospel is the true Savior of the world, while the Qur’anic Isa represents a different theological figure.

II. INTRODUCTION

In today’s religious conversations, one of the most important questions is whether the Jesus described in the Bible is the same as the “Isa” described in the Qur’an.

Both are said to be born of Mary, both are miracle workers, and both are respected.

But respecting two figures does not make them the same.

When we examine the Bible and the Qur’an side-by-side, we discover that the two portrayals are completely different, essentially opposite, and cannot be harmonized without destroying both books.

This presentation is not an attack on Islam, but a defense of biblical Christianity by comparing the actual sources.

III. ✓To answer the question honestly, we must first establish the identity of each figure separately.

IV. WHO IS JESUS ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE?

The Bible presents Jesus as:

✅ 1. God in the flesh. John 1:1,14; Matthew 1:23.

✅ 2. The only begotten Son of God. John 3:16.

✅ 3. The Creator of the universe. John 1:3; Colossians 1:16.

✅ 4. The Lamb of God who died for sins. John 1:29.

✅ 5. The resurrected Lord. Matthew 28:5-6.

✅ 6. The returning Judge of the world. Acts 17:31; John 5:22.

✅ 7. The giver of eternal life. John 10:28.

✅ 8. The object of worship. Matthew 28:9,17.

In Scripture, Jesus is God, Savior, Judge, Creator, and Lord.

V. WHO IS ISA ACCORDING TO THE QUR’AN?

The Qur’an presents Isa as:

✅ 1. A prophet only. Q4:171. “Isa… was only a messenger.”

✅ 2. A creation of Allah. Q3:59. “The likeness of Isa is as Adam.”

✅ 3. A man who spoke from the cradle to defend his mother. Q19:29-33.

✅ 4. A messenger only to Israel. Q3:49; Q61:6.

✅ 5. Not crucified, not killed. Q4:157.

✅ 6. Not the Son of God. Q112:3; Q4:171.

✅ 7. Not God, not divine. Q5:75.

✅ 8. Not a Savior. Islam denies the need for a savior.

Isa is not God, not crucified, not resurrected, not Son, not Savior, not Judge.

✓Now that we know who each figure is, the next question is:

Do they match?

Do they describe the same person?

Or do the two books disagree at the foundation?

Let us compare.

VI. MAJOR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN JESUS AND ISA

1. The Crucifixion

Bible: Jesus died on the cross (Mark 15:37; John 19:30).

Qur’an: Isa did not die, someone else took his place (Q4:157).

✅ These cannot be harmonized.

A person cannot be both crucified and not crucified.

2. The Resurrection

Bible: Jesus rose from the dead (Matthew 28:5-6).

Qur’an: Isa did not resurrect; he was taken alive.

✅ Opposite claims, not the same person.

3. The Divinity

Bible: Jesus is God (John 1:1).

Qur’an: Isa is not God (Q5:72-75).

✅ Direct contradiction.

4. Sonship

Bible: Jesus is the Son of God (Matthew 3:17).

Qur’an: Allah has no son (Q112:3).

✅ Same name? Impossible.

5. The Mission

Bible: Jesus came to save humanity (Luke 19:10).

Qur’an: Isa came as a prophet to Israel (Q61:6).

✅ Different missions entirely.

6. The Nature

Bible: Jesus is eternal (John 8:58).

Qur’an: Isa is created (Q3:59).

✅ One is Creator, one is creation.

7. Worship

Bible: Jesus is worshipped (Matthew 28:17).

Qur’an: Isa must not be worshipped (Q5:75).

✅ They cannot be the same.

8. Authority to Forgive Sins

Bible: Jesus forgives sins (Mark 2:5-10).

Qur’an: Isa cannot forgive sins, only Allah.

✅ Different powers.

9. Judgment

Bible: Jesus judges all mankind (John 5:22).

Qur’an: Allah judges; Isa is not the Judge.

✅ Different roles.

10. The Name and Identity

Bible Greek name: Iēsous (Jesus).

Hebrew name: Yeshua.

Qur’anic name: Isa, a name not found in any Hebrew or Aramaic record.

Scholars note:

The Qur’anic “Isa” does not linguistically match the historical Jesus.

VII. DEEPER APOLOGETIC POINTS

✅ 1. The Qur’an’s narrative comes 600 years after the Bible

The Bible was written close to the events.

The Qur’an came centuries later with no historical sources.

✅ 2. The Qur’an depends on second-hand, non-Jewish traditions

Much of the Qur’an’s stories of Isa come from:

Gnostic writings

Apocryphal infancy gospels

Jewish folklore

none of which are accepted as historical.

✅ 3. Islam affirms miracles of Jesus but denies His identity

Islam says:

Jesus healed

Jesus raised the dead

Jesus was sinless

Jesus is the Word of God

Jesus is the Messiah

Yet Islam denies the logical conclusion, His deity.

✅ 4. The Qur’an accidentally honors Jesus higher than any prophet

Born of a virgin

Sinless

Miracle worker from childhood

Word of God

Spirit from God

Messiah

Taken to heaven alive

No other prophet is given such titles.

✅ 5. If Jesus was not crucified, Christianity cannot exist

Islamic Isa destroys the foundation of the gospel.

But historical, Roman, Jewish, and Christian records all confirm Jesus’ crucifixion.

✓From these facts, we must now face the unavoidable conclusion.

VIII. CONCLUSION: THEY CANNOT BE THE SAME

The Jesus of the Bible is:

✅ God

✅ Son of God

✅ Crucified

✅ Resurrected

✅ Eternal

✅ Creator

✅ Savior

✅ Judge

✅ Worshipped

The Isa of the Qur’an is:

❌ Not God

❌ Not Son

❌ Not crucified

❌ Not resurrected

❌ Not Savior

❌ Not Judge

❌ Not eternal

❌ Not worshipped

These two identities are not the same.

They represent two different persons, two different messages, and two different religions.

By Brother Isaac Joseph Ukpong, he preaches  with the Church of Christ, Agbede in Ikorodu Lagos State Nigeria.

You can reach him on:

isaacjukpong@gmail.com,

+234-811-033-2119.