HOW CAN JESUS CHRIST BE BOTH A CHRISTIAN AND MUSLIM AT THE SAME TIME?

The word Christian is derived from the phrase "Christ-like", that is, exhibiting the qualities of our Lord Jesus Christ, e.g. humility, love, kindness, compassion, forgiveness, patience, etc.

According to God's Word in Acts 11:26, it was at Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

A Christian is therefore a follower of Jesus Christ in character. Note I said in character and not just profession by word of mouth.

Drawing from this preamble, it is therefore surprising to see Muslims claim that Jesus Christ is a prophet in Islam.

How, therefore, can the same Jesus Christ be a Christian and Muslim at the same time?

Islam draws it claim from a comment of Jesus Christ in the Holy Bible where He stated in John 14:16-17, "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever–

17 The Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you [constantly] and will be in you."

Jesus also states in John 15:26, "But when the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) comes, Whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth Who comes (proceeds) from the Father, He [Himself] will testify regarding Me."

Dear friend, as you can see from the two Bible readings above, our Lord Jesus Christ is referring to the Holy Spirit of God.

Islam does not believe in the Holy Trinity (God the Father, God the Son & God the Holy Spirit) and so they claim that it is their prophet Mohammed that Jesus was referring to.

In these Bible verses, Jesus Christ said 3 key things - (1) The Holy Spirit of truth will always be with His followers or disciples, dwell with them and inside them and (2) The Spirit will testify of Him - Jesus Christ and (3) The Spirit will remain with Jesus' disciples forever.

If what Islam claims is true, how come Mohammed never testified of Jesus Christ? Is Mohammed a spirit or a human being? Is Mohammed still alive today?

Jesus Christ was referring to a Spirit, which is God's Holy Spirit that would dwell with His disciples FOREVER.

Jesus Christ came to suffer to die for our sins to destroy what satan did at the beginning and to reconcile mankind with God the Father through the blood of His Cross - Colossians 1:20.

Islam teaches the very opposite that Jesus Christ did not die on the Cross and that God exchanged Him for another person and took Him to heaven.

If Jesus did not shed His blood and die on the Cross, mankind would have been doomed and the whole world would have gone to perish in HELL.

Jesus also came to start a movement called Christianity to spread the Gospel Message of Repentance and Salvation to the entire world and He began this with His declaration to His Apostle Peter who through God's Holy Spirit recognized Jesus Christ as the Messiah.

Jesus made it clear that He would build His church upon the rock that is Peter and the gates of HELL would not prevail against His church -  Matthew 16:15-19.

Jesus has also said He would come back to this earth to take those who are His - Revelation 22:12-14 and those who are His are those who have repented of sin, accepted Jesus Christ as Messiah and are living in righteousness by the power of God's Holy Spirit in strict obedience to God's commands in the Holy Bible.

God's Holy Spirit is responsible for every astounding miracle that takes place in this world to  demonstrate God's mighty power over seeming impossible situations.

God's Holy Spirit is responsible for the calmness the world observes in genuine Christians, also referred to as the Fruits of the Holy Spirit - love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,

Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence) - Galatians 5:22-23.

God's Holy Spirit manifests Himself through revelation given to people who prophecy and that prophecy ALWAYS comes to pass.

God's Holy Spirit is also responsible for the speaking and praying in tongues that Christian believers demonstrate when they are under the Spirit's influence. This is also known as Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

God's Holy Spirit is able to pick out evil in any gathering of Christian Believers.

God's Holy Spirit is able to guide a Christian Believer away from danger, warn about unrighteousness/sin and instructs the Believer to share the Gospel with the lost souls yet to know or receive Jesus Christ into their lives.

It is God's Holy Spirit that completes the work of getting the lost soul to repent and turn to Jesus after the Christian Believer has sowed the seed through preaching the Gospel and also praying for the lost soul.

Dear friend, from all I have stated above, it is obvious to see that our Lord Jesus Christ was not referring to any human being but God's Holy Spirit and everything Jesus said about the Holy Spirit as we read earlier is continuously manifesting these days in Christendom.

Therefore, it is obvious to see Jesus Christ could never have come to propagate Islam as it is erroneously taught these days and which even ignorant Christians believe for the simple fact that Islam teaches the very opposite of what Jesus came to do on earth.

Jesus Christ is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity or the Son of God and therefore God also - John 10:30; 1 John 5:7; John 1:1.

Jesus Christ is therefore a Christian, the founder of Christianity and His followers are Christians.

Dear friend, let me make it clear to you this day that no human being can reach God without Jesus Christ and it is only Christianity that shows you how to reach God through Christ because God has made it that way.

God's Word tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:25-30, "[This is] because the foolish thing [that has its source in] God is wiser than men, and the weak thing [that springs] from God is stronger than men.

26 For [simply] consider your own call, brethren; not many [of you were considered to be] wise according to human estimates and standards, not many influential and powerful, not many of high and noble birth.

27 [No] for God selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is foolish to put the wise to shame, and what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame.

28 And God also selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is lowborn and insignificant and branded and treated with contempt, even the things that are nothing, that He might depose and bring to nothing the things that are,

29 So that no mortal man should [have pretense for glorying and] boast in the presence of God.

30 But it is from Him that you have your life in Christ Jesus, Whom God made our Wisdom from God, [revealed to us a knowledge of the divine plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as] our Righteousness [thus making us upright and putting us in right standing with God], and our Consecration [making us pure and holy], and our Redemption [providing our ransom from eternal penalty for sin]."

May the good Lord bless you as you heed His Word today, act on it and share with others in Jesus' Most Powerful Name, Amen.

Gabriel Ama.