Do Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God?
Christians and Muslims both confess that there is one divine Ruler who created the heavens and the earth, governs all things, and judges human beings. This shared monotheism often leads people to ask whether Christians and Muslims worship the same God. The question becomes more complex when the Bible’s teaching about the identity of God, the significance of Jesus, and the nature of worship are brought into focus. Christians have historically acknowledged that Muslims intend to worship the Creator, yet the Christian view holds that the fullness of God’s identity is revealed in the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Because the identity of Jesus is essential to the identity of the one God, the Christian Scriptures draw a dividing line between knowing God in part and knowing God truly. This shaping of the question helps clarify how Christians and Muslims relate to the same God in a limited historical sense, while ultimately worshipping differently because of their distinct beliefs about Jesus.
1. Historical Connections and the Question of the “Same God”
Christians and Muslims affirm that there is only one God. Both traditions speak of a Creator who called the world into existence, gives life to humanity, and rules with justice. From a historical perspective, Christian theologians have acknowledged that Islam developed within the orbit of biblical monotheism. Muslims reject polytheism, affirm God’s sovereignty, and preserve many Old Testament names and stories. The overlap has led many to say that Christians and Muslims refer to the same God at the level of origins or intention. Paul’s sermon in Acts 17:24–28 offers a comparable category when he speaks to the Athenians about “the God who made the world and everything in it,” telling them that this God “is not far from each one of us.” Paul acknowledges that although the Athenians directed worship wrongly, they still reached for the true Creator.
Christians can similarly say that when Muslims use the name of God, they refer to the One who created the world. Yet Paul’s statement that the Athenians worshiped “in ignorance” illustrates an important biblical principle: referring to the Creator does not guarantee that a person knows Him as He truly is. Israel’s prophets warned that worship not shaped by God’s self-revelation leads to misrepresentation. Isaiah 45:5 declares, “I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides me there is no God,” yet the same Scriptures insist that God must be known as He reveals Himself, not as human imagination constructs Him.
2. The Identity of God in the Bible
The Bible teaches that God reveals Himself personally and decisively through His Word. Exodus 3:14 presents God as “I AM WHO I AM,” the One whose name discloses His character and authority. Throughout Scripture, God’s identity is inseparable from His acts—His covenant with Abraham, His deliverance of Israel, His faithfulness to His promises. The Christian claim is that God’s identity reaches its fullness in Jesus Christ, who is described as “the image of the invisible God” in Colossians 1:15 and the One in whom “the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” in Colossians 2:9. When Christians say that Jesus is the eternal Son, they are not adding a later layer to the Old Testament picture but recognizing its fulfillment.
This understanding makes the question of Christians and Muslims worshipping the same God more than a comparison of names. According to John 1:18, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” God’s identity is therefore bound to the Son’s revelation. To know the Father is to know the One who sent the Son, and to reject the Son is to reject the fullness of God’s self-disclosure. Jesus says in John 5:23 that honoring the Father requires honoring the Son, making worship of God inseparable from the worship of Christ.
3. Why the Christian View of Jesus Creates a Distinction
Muslims deeply reject the idea that God could have a Son. This rejection is rooted in a different understanding of divine transcendence, where God must remain distant from human nature. In Islamic theology, calling Jesus “the Son of God” is interpreted as implying physical generation, which is considered a form of idolatry. For Christians, the Sonship of Christ is not biological or mythological but eternal and divine. John 1:1 declares, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Bible affirms that the Son shares the Father’s nature and has always been with God. The incarnation is not God gaining a son but the eternal Son taking on human flesh for redemption.
This difference reaches the heart of worship. Christians worship Jesus as Lord because Scripture proclaims that He is God. Philippians 2:9–11 teaches that God exalted Jesus so “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.” In contrast, Muslims view bowing to Jesus as blasphemous. They regard Him as a prophet who pointed beyond Himself, not as the One in whom God is fully revealed. Because worship is shaped by the identity of the One being worshiped, Christians and Muslims ultimately offer devotion to different understandings of the divine.
4. Shared Monotheism and the Limits of the “Same God” Language
Some argue that because there is only one God, all who direct their prayer toward the Creator must be praying to the same God. In one sense this is true: there are not multiple creators competing for allegiance. When a Muslim confesses that God is one and that He alone created the heavens and the earth, Christians can affirm that the Creator being referenced is the same divine Being who is described in Genesis 1. Yet Scripture also teaches that worship must be directed toward God as He has revealed Himself. Jesus tells the Samaritan woman in John 4:22, “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know.” Jesus acknowledges the Samaritan intention to worship the God of Jacob, yet He denies that such worship is complete because it lacks the truth of God’s revelation.
Christians can say the same regarding Muslim worship: the intention is directed toward the Creator, yet the knowledge of God is incomplete because it rejects the Son. This incomplete knowledge means that Christians and Muslims do not worship the same God in a full and saving sense. First John 2:23 makes the distinction clear: “No one who denies the Son has the Father.” The Christian view therefore allows for historical continuity but denies theological unity.
5. Knowing God Through His Son and the Hope of Redemption
The Christian Scriptures present the knowledge of God as a gift grounded in revelation and grace. The Gospel proclaims that the eternal Son became flesh to bring humanity into fellowship with God. John 14:6 records Jesus saying, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” This exclusive claim is not about restricting access but about revealing the true pathway to God. The Christian confession holds that people from every religion, including Islam, are invited to know the Father through the Son by the Spirit. This hope reaches toward the future when the nations stream to God’s presence to worship Him in peace and righteousness. Because the Bible envisions a redeemed world gathered under the reign of Christ, the Christian answer to whether Christians and Muslims worship the same God is shaped by the belief that true knowledge of God is found in Jesus alone.
Bible Verses About Knowing the True God
“No one who denies the Son has the Father.” (1 John 2:23)
“No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
“In the beginning was the Word… and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)
“He is the image of the invisible God.” (Colossians 1:15)
“The whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” (Colossians 2:9)
“We worship what we know.” (John 4:22)
“I am the Lord, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:5)
“The only God… he has made him known.” (John 1:18)
“Every knee should bow… at the name of Jesus.” (Philippians 2:9–11)
“The God who made the world and everything in it.” (Acts 17:24)
