My message to Muslims:
Good news for Muslims that may first sound like bad news:
1. In Genesis, God says his covenant will continue through Isaac.
2. Jesus is the Son of God, not only a messenger. The covenant through Isaac is fulfilled in him.
Why is this good news for you?
God’s choice of Isaac did not mean Ishmael was forever excluded from receiving the covenant’s blessing. God heard Ishmael and promised to make him a great nation (Genesis 17:20; 21:17–18).
Through Jesus, the blessing promised to Abraham through Isaac is opened to people of every nation, including each of you. Jesus said that people would come from east and west to sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom (Matthew 8:11). He also warned that some who expected a place there would find themselves outside (Luke 13:28–29).
John the Baptist told those who relied on being Abraham’s descendants that God could raise children of Abraham from stones, and that the axe was already at the root of trees without good fruit (Matthew 3:7–10). Jesus told listeners who appealed to that ancestry that the Son must set them free (John 8:31–36). When a woman blessed the womb that bore him, Jesus answered, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it” (Luke 11:27–28).
You do not have to take Isaac’s side against Ishmael, agree with Jews or Israelis, or be born into a particular people. Isaac was chosen as the line through which the covenant would come; Jesus is the one in whom it is fulfilled. His invitation is for you too.
Receiving Jesus requires conversion. One cannot claim his blessing while seeking to make the world submit through militant rule or enforcing moral rightness without freedom to choose it. Jesus calls people to follow him freely. He taught us to love our enemies and pray for them (Matthew 5:44). He told the disciple who drew a sword to put it away (Matthew 26:52), and told Pilate that if his kingdom were of this world, his followers would fight for him (John 18:36). His way is to speak the truth, invite a free response, and wish even an enemy the same salvation.
Sarah’s actions brought suffering to Hagar and Ishmael, yet God heard and cared for them (Genesis 16; 21:8–21). After Eve listened to the serpent and distrusted God, he did not abandon humanity; he spoke of the woman’s offspring and the serpent’s defeat (Genesis 3:15). Our wrong choices need not be final. The answer is not to invent a rival covenant through Ishmael, but to trust God and receive the promise’s fulfillment in Jesus.
I was not born a Jew or Israelite. My ancestors were Germanic and Slavic. Muslims in history killed and enslaved some of my ancestors. Nevertheless, I want Muslims to receive the same covenant promise I have received through Jesus. He did not come only for those who have never wronged us. I am willing to forgive as he taught.
Cain treated Abel’s favor as his own exclusion. Yet God told Cain that if he did rightly, he too would be accepted (Genesis 4:6–7). His brother’s blessing was no reason to turn against him. Isaac’s place in God’s plan is no reason for Ishmael’s descendants—or anyone else—to turn away from Jesus.
Those who belong to Christ are Abraham’s descendants and heirs according to the promise (Galatians 3:26–29). Listen to Jesus’ words, receive him, and enter the covenant promise fulfilled in him.
