Want to try something fun at an upcoming Christmas party or family gathering? See how many Biblical names and titles for God you can come up with! [Warning: Avoid the “Does God = Allah” debate unless you want everyone to get mad and go home early so you can get some sleep!]
Just start with Jehovah and go around the circle with the names God calls himself and others call him in the Bible. How many do you think you and your pals could get? You’ll probably come up with a couple dozen, depending how many Sunday School attendance medals were collectively won by the group!
You may know Muslims have 99 names for God. (And many Muslims know them all!) Again, sidestepping the “Does God = Allah” debate for the time being, I share this for two reasons.
- This is the 99th edition of Muslim Connect and I’m getting giddy about hitting 100!
- Many of the names of God that Muslims use describe him in ways that most Christians would readily agree with. Names like: Al Khaliq, The Creator or Al Alim, The All Knowing. At the same time, others don’t resonate with a biblical worldview, like Al Mumit, The Causer of death.
I share this because it’s helpful to know what may be in the mind of your Muslim friend when she speaks of God. Also, deepening our understanding of how Muslims see God will likely grow our amazement at the goodness of God revealed in the Bible and the maybe even cause greater desire for our Muslim friends to know the fullness of the abundant life Jesus came to bring.
What name or title of God is particularly meaningful to you?
Be sure to catch next week’s special 100th edition of Muslim Connect. If you like Muslim Connect, please share it with a friend.