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Abraham is indispensable to Christianity, but for a far different reason than he is to Judaism or Islam. Christians hold to the same historical account as the Jews do; but Christians make a further-reaching conclusion. Christians view God’s interaction and covenant with Abraham as something leading up to the coming of Jesus Christ. God’s love for his creation was so infinite that he determined to somehow bridge the immeasurable gap that man had made when he sinned. To this end God made the first covenant with Abraham which included the promise of a future savior, Jesus, who would come through Abraham’s descendants. Any covenant that was made demanded blood to seal the pact. Just as Abraham killed “…a heifer, a goat, and a ram each three years old, along with a dove and young pigeon, “ (NIV, Genesis 15:9) to seal the first covenant, Christians believe that Christ’s blood, when he died on the cross, sealed the second. Christians draw many parallels between Jesus and Abraham’s life. One of the best known examples is the story of Isaac. Isaac was Abrahams dearly loved, only son through whom God had promised the future salvation of the world. Yet God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac to see if Abraham’s faith extended that far. Just before Abraham was about to plunge the knife into his only son, an angel stopped him and God provided a ram to die in Isaac’s stead. Christians see Jesus as God’s only son whom he loved infinitely, yet for the sake of mankind God sacrificed his only son. Jesus became the sacrificial lamb so that: "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord [Jesus] will be saved.” (NIV, Romans 10:13) In conclusion, although they don’t trace their lineage back to Abraham, Christians view themselves as adopted sons because they consider themselves sons of Jesus who was the future promise for Abraham’s descendents.

Abraham’s role in Islam is different from that which he plays in either Christianity or Judaism. Arab Muslims trace their lineage back to Abraham through Ishmael. They also see Ishmael as the one through whom God’s covenant would be fulfilled. The Koran says about Ishmael: “And mention Ishmael in the Book; surely he was truthful in (his) promise, and he was an apostle, a prophet. And he enjoined on his family prayer and almsgiving, and was one in whom his Lord was well pleased.” (Marium 19:54-55). Islam’s historical account is a second distinction from the other two. Abraham’s story in the Koran is not as extensive as that of the Hebrew account. The Koran account of Abraham dwells mostly on a struggle going on between Abraham and his father over Abraham’s father’s idol worship. Abraham tries to convince his father not to worship these things that cannot see, hear, feel, taste, or smell, but he only manages to get himself rejected. So he leaves his father to become a true Allah worshipper and in return for his faithfulness Allah gives Abraham two sons Jacob and Ishmael. In summary, Abraham is not so much the founder of Islam, as he is an example of someone who sought Allah’s will.