Romans 1 and the Anthropology of Islam

This is a follow-up to the post a few entries ago about a responsible comparison of Christianity and Islam. I mentioned in that previous post that the anthropologies of the respective faiths are quite different, at least when it comes to what each has to say about man's biggest problem in his relationship with God. In Christian thought, sin is man's biggest problem and severs communion with God. In Islamic thought, forgetfulness and ignorance is what keeps man from understanding the will of Allah and aligning himself with it. As mentioned previously, in Islamic thought, human forgetfulness and ignorance are the reasons why man does not submit to Allah and doesn't know how to submit. In Islam, the Quran was given by Allah to remedy this malady and make it possible for people plagued with forgetfulness and ignorance to submit to Allah. This anthropology of forgetfulness and ignorance is critical to remember when dealing with questions of comparative religion. Is the Islamic take on the human condition compatible with Christian anthropology? I would respectfully submit that Romans 1 in particular compels us to answer 'no'.

Before getting to Romans 1, it is worthwhile to look briefly at some common and not so common passages out of the OT that are pertinent here. Jer. 31.31-33 is a favorite among Christians, because it is said that God will make a new covenant with his people, and that his law will be put in their minds and written on their hearts. But as wonderful as this is, the idea that the law will be placed on the minds and hearts of men was not new. Deut. 6.5, 26.16, 32.46 and many other passages imply this ideal. In addition, Deut. 10.16 and especially 30.6 more graphically discuss God's intent to circumcise the hearts of his people to follow him with all their being. Circumcision of the heart was not a NT idea, but one that was as old as the Mosaic law itself. What is clear from this all-too-brief survey is that God is not content to instruct us with written commands, though such commands are vital and essential. No, the anthropology of the OT is one in which direct supernatural intervention within the hearts and minds of people is necessary to cure people of the sin problem that ails them.

This leads to Romans 1, which is not only Paul's grand statement of the universality of sin, but also of the universality of God's general revelation to humanity. In Romans 1.18-32, it is said no less than five times (1.19, 1.20, 1.21, 1.28, 1.32) that even the 'godless' KNOW God and his commands. It is very clear from this section that man's problem in relation to God is not a lack of knowledge - it is not ignorance about God or his ways as the anthropology of Islam proffers. Rather, as 1.20-21 say, God has made himself and his ways plain for all to see, and his general nature has been clearly grasped and understood by all. Knowledge of God and his ways isn't the problem.

So what is the human problem per Romans 1? Put simply, sin. Twice, in 1.18 and 1.25, it says that man's natural sinful inclination is to 'suppress' the truth. This is not ignorance of the truth, but a deliberate and willful suppression of it. Why does man suppress the truth? Romans 1.18 says it is through his wickedness that he suppresses the truth. How is this done? Romans 1 tells us that it is done through a brutal exchange. Three times in this section (1.23, 1.25, 1.26) it is said that man willfully forfeited the truth he knew and exchanged it for sinful idolatry. Romans 1.29-31 graphically illustrate the result. Man, in his natural state, has dehumanized himself, not because he didn't know any better, but because he willingly forsaked the truth he knew and embraced lies instead.

As uncomfortable as it is, it is clear from Romans 1:18ff that God has sufficiently revealed himself to such an extent that no one can claim ignorance when it comes to the question of whether God exists. It is clear that non-Christians "know" God; they are not blissfully ignorant of the reality of his existence or of his commands. The primary difference between Christians and non-Christians is not that Christians know God and non-Christians do not (although clearly, the Christian's knowledge of God is deeper due to the illuminating power of the Holy Spirit). Rather, the primary difference is the respective reaction of both groups to what they know to be true – Christians embrace this knowledge, while non-Christians futilely strive against it.

This anthropological diagnosis of man's condition and his most severe ailment stands in contrast to Islam's diagnosis. The sin problem is not cured through written instructions. This is why the Bible alone is not sufficient for our salvation, because mere agreement with its teachings, while good and essential, is not the remedy for our ailment. It is belief in Christ as the loving and transforming Savior that releases us from the penalty of sin, enables us to resist the power of sin, and will ultimately deliver us from the presence of sin in our glorification. The Bible's words are completely true and are completely accurate in describing what God has done and is doing with people - writing the law on people's hearts, and revealing himself plainly to all so that as Romans 1.20 says, mankind is without excuse. Muslim anthropology requires instructions and information as the remedy for man's chief problem. Christian anthropology requires a Person to pay a sin debt that man could never pay so that man might live and find eternal rest through faith in this Person. This is a rather basic difference between Christianity and Islam.

For many, the Christian teaching is the harder teaching to accept. It's much easier and far more palatable for us to believe that what we need is greater knowledge of God in order to make an informed spiritual decision and not be punished for bad things we may have done out of ignorance. By comparison, it's much tougher to read the judgment of Romans 1 that we are without excuse because we already have more than enough knowledge of God. It's far less offensive to believe that ignorance is our biggest problem than to believe that sin is our biggest problem. But as a Christian who operates with a Christian anthropology, I confess that substituting ignorance for sin is the exact kind of 'exchange' that Romans 1 talks about. We're prone to do it, and many people have done it and will do it. Paul's observations about the human condition 2,000 years ago are just as valid today. But the quote from Flannery O'Connor that I quote in my blog heading reminds us that 'truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.'

Sorry about the tough nature of this post. Christian teaching isn't always easy or fun.