In the Quran, Jesus is referred to as Isa. He is considered one of the most important prophets in Islam. However, there are some key differences in how Jesus is portrayed in the Bible versus the Quran.
In the Bible, Jesus claims to be the Son of God and part of the Trinity along with God the Father and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). Jesus states, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). In the Quran, Jesus is not portrayed as the Son of God. Rather, he is respected as a prophet and messenger of God, but not divine himself.
The Bible presents Jesus as being born of a virgin, Mary (Luke 1:26-35). The Quran also affirms the virgin birth of Jesus, referring to him as ‘Isa ibn Maryam’ or ‘Jesus son of Mary’ (Quran 23:50). However, the Quran denies the idea that God begot a son.
According to the Bible, Jesus was crucified and died on the cross as atonement for the sins of humanity (1 Corinthians 15:3). The Quran explicitly denies that Jesus died on the cross. It states that God raised Jesus up to heaven and someone else was made to resemble Jesus and was crucified in his place (Quran 4:157-158).
The Bible records Jesus’ resurrection after three days in the tomb (Matthew 28:1-10). While the Quran does not specifically say Jesus was resurrected, it does state that God raised Jesus up to Himself (Quran 4:158). The Bible teaches Jesus later ascended into heaven but will someday return again (Acts 1:9-11).
In the Bible, Jesus performs many miracles – healing the sick, walking on water, feeding the multitudes, raising the dead, etc. The Quran does not record any specific miracles by Jesus, but it does acknowledge Jesus performed miracles by God’s permission (Quran 5:110).
The Bible presents Jesus as Savior of the world. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). In the Quran, Jesus is not portrayed as Savior. Salvation in Islam is achieved through good works and submitting to the will of Allah.
In the Bible, Jesus makes statements about himself and his identity that Muslims would view as blasphemous – calling himself Son of God, way/truth/life, forgiving sins, existing before Abraham, etc. The Jesus of the Quran does not make these types of statements.
The Bible records Jesus stating He and the Father are one (John 10:30). The Bible teaches that Jesus existed in the beginning as the Word/God and became flesh (John 1:1-14). The Quran rejects Jesus as divine and rejects the Trinity. The Biblical Jesus claims prerogatives that belong to God alone.
In the Bible, Jesus makes several “I am” statements that equate Himself to God – “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35), “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12), “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11), “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25), “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), and “I am the true vine” (John 15:1).
Jesus accepts worship several times in the Bible (Matthew 28:9, John 9:38, etc.). Jesus forgives sins (Mark 2:5-7). Jesus stated, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). No mere human messenger could make and accept such statements according to Islam.
In the Bible, Jesus is eternal. Micah 5:2 says the Messiah would be “from of old, from ancient days.” Isaiah 9:6 says Jesus is the “Everlasting Father.” John 8:58 says, “Before Abraham was, I am.” In Exodus 3:14, God refers to Himself as “I AM.” Jesus claimed to exist before Abraham who lived 2000 years before Jesus.
In the Bible, Jesus is omniscient. He knew people’s hearts, minds, motives, pasts, secrets, thoughts, and whole life stories (Luke 5:22, John 2:24-25, John 4:17-19). Jesus said He would raise Himself from the dead, and He did (John 2:19-21). The prophets raised others but not themselves.
The Bible teaches that Jesus is omnipresent. Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matthew 18:20). Jesus is with all believers everywhere at the same time by His Spirit (John 14:16-18). Islam teaches Allah is omnipresent, not any prophet.
The Bible presents Jesus as having authority over nature – calming the storm, multiplying food, turning water into wine, catching fish, cursing the fig tree, etc. The prophets did miracles but not unlimited authority over natural laws. Only God can control nature at will.
The Bible teaches Jesus is omnipotent – all powerful. He declared, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). He is called Mighty God and Everlasting Father (Isaiah 9:6). The prophets were limited in power, but in the Bible, Jesus has all power and authority.
According to Scripture, Jesus deserves our worship as God. “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth…and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11). In Islam, only God should be worshipped.
Jesus accepted worship in the Bible as God (Matthew 28:9). Thomas worshipped Jesus saying, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). The Bible forbids humans being worshipped (Acts 14:11-15), but Jesus accepts worship as God. The Quran does not present Jesus as worthy of worship.
The Bible teaches that Jesus is sinless. He lived a perfect, holy life without sin (Hebrews 4:15, 2 Corinthians 5:21). Even Pontius Pilate found no fault in Jesus (Luke 23:4,14,22). The Quran does not specifically affirm the sinlessness of Jesus.
In the Bible, Jesus has the power to forgive sins (Matthew 9:2-6, Mark 2:5-12). The Jews accused Him of blasphemy for this claim because only God can forgive sins (Luke 5:21). In Islam, the prophets do not have authority to forgive sins.
In the Bible, Jesus is likened to the bronze serpent that was lifted up in the wilderness for all who looked upon it to be healed and saved from death (Numbers 21:8-9, John 3:14-15). This symbolizes Jesus’ death on the cross providing salvation for all who believe in Him.
Biblically, Jesus rose from dead on the third day after the crucifixion (Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-18). All four gospels record the resurrection. This demonstrates Jesus’ power over death. The Quran does not affirm Jesus’ resurrection.
According to the Bible, the tomb was empty on the third day. Had Jesus’ body still been there, it would have disproven the resurrection. But no body was ever produced. The Jewish leaders who opposed Jesus wanted to discredit His resurrection but could not (Matthew 28:11-15).
After rising from the dead, the Bible records that Jesus appeared to over 500 people (1 Corinthians 15:3-6). He showed His crucifixion wounds and even ate food (Luke 24:36-43, John 20:19-20). This rules out the Islamic view that someone else appeared to resemble Jesus.
The dramatic transformation of Jesus’ disciples after His resurrection supports its historicity. They went from discouraged deserters hiding in fear (John 20:19) to bold proclaimers unafraid to die for this belief. Only Jesus’ bodily resurrection can account for this sudden confident preaching.
In the Bible, Jesus’ resurrection is presented as the central fact of Christianity. Paul said, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14). Paul stakes everything on this crucial event which Islam rejects. But without it, Christianity crumbles.
Jesus prophesied His death and resurrection (Matthew 16:21, Mark 8:31, Luke 9:22). This was very unexpected. The Jews expected a victorious Messiah, not a suffering Servant who would die an atoning death according to Isaiah 53. Jesus’ prophecy came true showing divine insight.
The Bible records more information about Jesus’ resurrection – the empty tomb, grave clothes lying there, angels announcing it, over 500 eyewitnesses, His post-resurrection appearances and interactions, complete transformation of the disciples, centrality to the Gospel, and fulfilled prophecy. The resurrection is the best attested event in ancient history with overwhelming evidence.
Islam cannot account for the conviction with which the earliest disciples proclaimed the Gospel. They willingly suffered poverty, persecution, imprisonment, beatings, and martyrdom for believing and preaching Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again. All but one disciple was martyred for this Gospel message.
Christianity centers around Jesus Christ. He doesn’t just point to God like the prophets. Jesus claimed to be God in the flesh as the Son of God, forgave sins, accepted worship as God, possessed divine attributes like omniscience, and performed miracles only God could do. Jesus made divine claims that no mere prophet would make.
Belief in Jesus’ deity and resurrection caused the early Christians to worship Jesus alongside God – an unforgivable sin in Islam. But Christians worshipped Jesus from the start, prayed to Him, were baptized in His name, sang hymns exalting Him, and based their faith and salvation on His death and resurrection.
Jesus is qualitatively distinct from the prophets. They spoke for God, but Jesus claimed to be God. The prophets pointed people to God, but Jesus points to Himself. The Bible, especially the Gospels and letters of Paul, teach that Jesus is the divine Son of God, not just a prophet. Biblical Christianity and Islam are fundamentally at odds on this critical issue.
The earliest Christians recognized Jesus as divine and worshipped Him as Lord and Savior. The New Testament epistles, written decades before the Quran, already present the divine Jesus who died for our sins and rose again – the very concepts Islam adamantly rejects. The New Testament writers knew Jesus personally and proclaimed His deity.
Jesus established a new covenant through His shed blood on the cross – the basis of salvation in Christianity. Jesus said, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20). No prophet could inaugurate a new covenant singlehandedly. This demonstrates Jesus’ superiority.
In summary, the Jesus of the Bible – who claimed divinity, died for our sins, and rose from the dead according to the eyewitnesses and earliest disciples – is remarkably different from the Jesus presented in the Quran. Biblically, Jesus is the divine Son of God and only Savior while in the Quran He is only a prophet.