Regular readers will know that I believe the central issue in religious discourse is whether Jesus Christ was crucified, as Christians believe, or not, as Muslims believe. So much theology hinges upon this question.
Because we can’t access a video recording of the crucifixion, we rely on historical evidence and whatever God reveals to us personally.
Knowing that Jesus was crucified means we can trust Pauline theology and that Christians have the hope of salvation. It also means that the Qur’an is not an inerrant and infallible Scripture.
I have every respect for Jewish people, Christians, and Muslims who are well-intentioned and try to live lives that are pleasing to God. We will all be judged.
I hope to live out the rest of my life as a Christian, but a Christian who has a deep respect for Muslims and Jews. Prayers appreciated.
Thanks be to God.
Reflections 
10 responses to “Jesus Christ WAS crucified”
Hi Steven!
This article was very well written and I particularly liked its inclusive nature. Christ, I believe, was most inclusive which is why I believe that all of humanity will be fully united with God, eventually. Further, I do not think heaven and hell are places or realms. Instead, our experience upon unification with God will seem hellish or heavenly according to the judgement of our hearts.
Finally, like you, I believe that the Quran is not entirely inerrant. Additionally, I do not believe that Bibles published in English are entirely inerrant. Christ’s diatribe in Matthew 23 has some bearing on my belief.
In friendship,
Dinos
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Thank you, Dinos. I will take a read of Matthew 23.
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Thank you for this. Definitely agree the resurrection is key, as is the crucifixion. My understanding is that both happened.
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Steven,
About Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, Prof. Todd Lawson’s book, ‘The Crucifixion and the Qur’an,’ (a .pdf is available) basically states:
In the surah “. . . they did not kill him and they did not crucify him, rather, it only appeared so to them . . .” The Qur’an only asserts that they [the Jews] did not crucify Jesus; which is different from saying that Jesus was not crucified.
The most frequent Islamic interpretation is that God rescued Jesus from his fate in a miraculous manner, [“God raised him up to Himself.”] and that someone else was substituted for Jesus on the cross. The Docetic view has a long history in Christianity and it holds that what was seen crucified on the cross was just an image: a phantom, not the real Jesus or perhaps even a substitute. Here the “appearance” refers [only] to the body of Jesus which was certainly crucified as distinct from his spiritual and eternal reality . . . It was only the human element and not the divine that was crucified.”
– RahimGee
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Very interesting, thanks Rahim
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Thanks Andrew. May I ask what the Qur’an says about the early Eastern churches?
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Steven, in your last paragraph, it sounds as if you are unsure of your faith and the Gospel. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6. Seems definitive.
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Agreed, Tom. I came to God through reading the New Testament. Thanks for sharing so emphatically!
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Your writing is thought-provoking…keep it up!
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Glad to hear it! God willing, I will.
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