Which way is SALVATION ?

In the Islam religion one does not know God-only obey God. Rules and regulations make up the religion and are what one does in Islam; this is what pleases God. One can do what Allah asks their whole life and at the end there are no guarantees he accepts you, even after a lifetime of obeying. No Muslim can ever know if his good works are sufficient, or if he is predestined to Allah's favor. Salvation is mentioned several times but not as a gift, but a reward for those who submit and obey.

Surah 28:67 “But any that (in this life) had repented, believed, and worked righteousness, will have hopes to be among those who achieve salvation.”

The Quran is full of necessary rules for one to do God’s Will (Do this is mentioned 330 times). There are 130 commands (faraj) that are to be done each day otherwise you sin. For a Muslim, the only thing you can know is the Will of Allah. You are unable to know God personally, because He is unknowable, so it is the commands one must obey to prove their allegiance to Allah. The Qur'an portrays God as one who is “far away” not personally involved in each person’s life. Islam is about man trying to please God by obeying his commands. The Bible teaches us something very different, God took the initiative and came down to seek after us. Though admitted by some Muslims as being possible, it is denied as a probable.

The Koran talks about forgiveness but contrary to what Christ said, it comes through a greater fervency by their religious practice, then God gives grace by His mercy.

Islam teaches salvation by works: “They whose balances shall be heavy shall be blest. But they whose balances shall be light, they shall lose their soul, abiding in hell forever” (Sura 13:102-140). Thus if the scale tips in favor of good works, the Muslim will reach paradise, but if this be not the case then he will be banished to hell. Those who believe, and suffer exile and strive (jahadu) with might and main in Allah’s cause, with their goods and their persons, have the highest rank in the sight of Allah. They are the people who will achieve salvation” (Surah 9:20).

“I want to earn my points with Allah for the hereafter.” Speaking of the prophet Mohammed “He is the greatest example for mankind to follow” (Nzar Hassan, Ch. 52 Olelo Jan.9, 2000). Jesus is sinless and did everything perfect yet He is not the greatest example for mankind to a Muslim; Mohammed is.

Consider Nzar’s statement. If a drowning man can save himself there is no need for him to cry out to God to save him.

There is no concept of any original sin in Muslim teaching, they teach Adam and Eve sinned and they repented asking for forgiveness, therefore there is nothing passed on. “The Muslims does not believe in the necessity of bloodshed for remission of their sins.” Badawi.

Figru is the application of their law, what they are to do is what counts much more than what you believe. Sin is what you do and not what you are. Yet the Bible teaches sin is from the inside and shows itself on the outside Who can say, “I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin”? (Proverbs 20:9)

“But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (James 1:14-15)

Muslims teach man is born in a state of original goodness, there is no original sin “the Muslims does not believe in the necessity of blood to be shed for remission of their sins.” (Jamal Badawi on the John Ankerberg show) The Bible teaches and rightly proven by the reality of our world and how sin is defined “For as by one man's disobedience we were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous.” (Rom 5:19) Even Prophet David said he was formed with sin as his nature “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me” (Ps. 51:5).

The Koranic concept is that God can simply forgive someone and disregard his own laws (Mosaic law). They neglect necessity of the divine in order that God gave to his creatures to obtain forgiveness that was sustained by the prophets. It was by sacrifice. All the blood sacrifices point to an ultimate sacrifice, Jesus Christ. There were sin offerings constantly mentioned in the Old Testament, please read it to see if what I’m saying to you is true.

It is here where the root of the matter lays, the righteousness of God vs. the righteousness of man.

This is what I appeal to every Muslim to consider, the issue of sin. For the Bible says this is the very reason we are sick and die, because we are by nature sinners. These are the consequences of sin, we all die no matter how good we are.  “The heart (man's spirit) is deceitfully wicked out of which flow all kinds of evils.” The heart man is not wonderfully good and out of it flows the best character. It is because of sin we no longer have the relationship with God that Adam first had in the garden.

There is a misunderstanding of the gravity of sin by Muslims. If one does not understand their spiritual condition in comparison to God they can never see God’s glorious gospel.

Solomon who was once the wisest man on earth said “For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin” (Eccl. 7:20). The apostle Paul said a similar thing in Romans 3:23-28 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.”

Notice how the apostle Paul explains it: all have sinned, we are save by grace- in Christ- by his blood- it showed us perfect righteousness, we can’t boast because it is given completely separate from anything we can work for. It’s a free gift.

To a Muslim, God is not affected by mans sin but by his obedience. But a wrong concept of man's sinfulness will affect your concept of God and man's relationship to him.

Because of the rejection of a sin nature the crucifixion and the resurrection become meaningless to a Muslim. This diminishes our guilt, shame and fallen nature before a holy God that all the prophets spoke of. Consider Isaiah in Isa.6 when he saw the Lord in heaven, he became conscious of his filthiness calling himself a man of unclean lips.

If Muslims believe in the prophets, if they believe Moses was a prophet than should they not accept the commands that were directly given to Moses by God. Since Muslims do not believe in the sacrifice for sins by Jesus, why do they not sacrifice for their sins like all the prophets did? Adam, Cain and Abel, Job, Abraham, David did.

So why doesn’t a Muslim listen to the prophets? For over1400 years God instructed and trained 'the Jews to and the importance of sacrifice for forgiveness. Even before Moses, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all made sacrifices to God to have their sins cleansed. All the prophets of God sacrificed for their sins, ALL- no exceptions. Go search it out and you will see what I’m saying is the truth.

Heb 9:22 says, “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no, forgiveness.”

John the Baptist introduced Jesus by proclaiming “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin' of the world!” (John1:29). Heb 10:4 says “it-is impossible for the blood of bulls, and goats to take away sins.” As Heb 10 points out, animal sacrifices were a shadow of God’s real sacrifice to come. Repeated animal sacrifices merely covered over the sins and brought forgiveness temporarily and needed to be repeated until the once and for all sacrifice God chose. As Isaiah, Jesus, and Jesus’ apostles taught, the sacrifice was Jesus himself fulfilling the practices given to man from Adam onward.

So why do Muslims not listen to the prophets?

So where does a Muslim find an assurance of forgiveness? Islam has no mediator so how can Allah be the God of the Old Testament? There was always a type of mediator for our sin; Islam teaches one cannot intercede for another, there is no need to. you can approach God directly.

All of the works you could ever do - all of the prayers you could ever pray, all the holiness you may obtain cannot take the place of God forgiving you for your sins toward Him. Only God can do that. God is called -gracious, compassionate, and merciful, but He must forgive the sins against Him His way, and not our way. God has provided a way, and every man and women must choose whether to accept God’s way or try things on their-own way.

There are those who call themselves messianic Muslims but do not believe Jesus was God who came from heaven and died for our sins. Believing Isa as the messiah or savior cannot save you. One must believe the gospel to be saved: “How that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (I Cor.15:1-4); “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:15) the Quran acknowledges the Gospel of Christ. But The Bibles Gospel is not found in the Quran, so they cannot know what the gospel is unless they trust in the Bibles revelation.

The obedient to Allah have no assurance to be preserved, they only have uncertainty: “Forgiveness is only incumbent on Allah toward those who do evil in ignorance (and] then hug quickly [in repentance] to Allah .... Lo! Allah pardoneth ... all save [except] that to him he will not ...... (4:17,106,110,116). Neither “ignorance” nor “how quickly” are defined and repentance does not guarantee forgiveness without believing in the right gospel, for Paul says there is another gospel that can be given by an angel that will differ from the one he and the apostles gave, and that gospel cannot save you.

In Islam, salvation is only for the best of the good. Mohammad claimed to be a prophet to all nations, but salvation was limited by him to those who followed Islam, regardless of whether or not they followed the previous revelations of Christianity and Judaism. Even Mohammed, Islam's Prophet said, “By Allah, though I am the Apostle of Allah, yet I do not know what Allah will do to me.” (Hadith vol. 5, no. 266). So if Mohammad was not sure and he was the beginner of this religion how can any Muslim be sure?

There is even less assurance for the women in Islam, most women, the Hadith teaches, will not inherit paradise. [In the Day of Judgment] they whose balances shall be heavy with good works, shall be happy; but they whose balances shall be light, are those who shall lose their souls, and shall remain in hell forever. Sura 23:104-05 in the George Sale translation (1734) as cited by Phillip H. Inchhaas, How to Respond to Islam, 1981), p. 24.

It is what YOU do gains God’s approval the justification is in your hands not God’s. “On that day [of judgment], their deeds shall be weighed with justice. Those whose scales are heavy [with good works] shall triumph, but those whose scales are light [i.e., containing evil works] shall lose their souls, because they have denied Our revelations [e.g., in the Koran].” (Dawood. Koran, p. 241.)

Sura 23:102-104 “Then those whose balance (of good deeds) is heavy, they will attain salvation: But those whose balance is light, will be those who have lost their souls, in Hell will they abide.”

Allah arbitrarily forgives some and not others.

The Muslim assumes that his chances for heaven are good if he accepts the Muslim God Allah and his apostle Mohammad. That what is required of him is that he does good works and he is then predestined to Allah's favor. But are the Islamic requirements enough to give assurance to Muslims Mohammed writes that God created this world “ --- that He might try you, which one of you is fairer in works.” (Arberry, A. J. Op cit Volume II, Surah XLIII, page 205.)

Surah 85:11 “For those who believe and do righteous deeds, will be Gardens; beneath which rivers flow: That is the great Salvation, (the fulfillment of all desires). There is only one way to be assured of salvation in Islam become a martyr, better explained as a suicide bomber. To be promised paradise and have assurance by breaking one of God’s basic laws though shalt not kill is a twisting of all that is good pure and holy. They are killing innocent people not fighting in war for self- preservation. No wonder young men are motivated to do what they normally would not.

The Apostle Paul wrote: “By grace are you saved through faith . . . not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:9).

To a Muslim Grace is interpreted as something God gives you for your obedience to his law, not something he gives out of His love for you.

The difference is Jesus Christ, only by the gospel one can sure John 5:24, “if anyone hears my voice, and believes on the one who sent me, he'll have eternal life” He will not come to judgment. He is transferred from this to life. Assurance. So the people of the book- the New Testament have this assurance, and those who follow the Koran have no assurance whatsoever. On one hand, in the New Testament, it is a guarantee. On the other no guarantee. Surah 3.140 “And God loveth not those that do wrong.” Christianity teaches from the prophet and Lord Jesus that he does

What if God said to someone that they may or may not enter heaven by obeying him but commands you to obey Him anyway. Why would anyone embrace a religion that gives them little or no assurance of eternal life? This would be like working for someone who promised to pay you well at the end of the week and when it came time he could change his mind on you and did all the work for nothing. Is this hope?

Can a Muslim be sure that when they die, they will be in Heaven? How sure are they? Unfortunately No Muslim has this kind of assurance, because the Koran doesn't give this assurance to any Muslim. Surah 9:20 “Those who believe, and suffer exile and strive with might and main, in God's cause, with their goods and their persons, have the highest rank in the sight of God: they are the people who will achieve (salvation).”

The gospel of Islam is not the same Gospel explained in the Bible. The Qur'an never states, “God is love.” Islam’s God does not have the concept of love for mankind, so a Muslim cannot understand Jesus’ sacrifice is motivated by love for mankind, showing God’s mercy to all who come to him in faith. The Qur'an says that Allah does not love unbelievers (2:98; 3:32). If Allah does not love unbelievers, then how can Allah be a God who loves at all? Consider here what the Bible says, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8).

Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends” (John 15:13). John 3:16-17 declares “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”  It is only an honest and searching heart that can respond to the love seen in Jesus and come to know the love of God personally.

In contrast to the Bibles gospel, the Koran say Allah only loves the Muslim and not all people? This is quite a difference as The Bible explains God loved us before we submit to God, while we were sinners and did not wait until we started to obey. Both Christianity and Islam teach of having faith in God. But only Christianity teaches faith in God is sufficient to save.

There are only two ways of salvation that is common to all the religions of the world: its either grace or by works it cannot be both. Christianity is a religion of salvation by grace alone: “For by grace through faith you have been saved, not of works...” (Eph.2:8-10) Why not works? The Bible gives us the answer “lest any man boast.” All other systems rely totally or in part on the works of the believer to merit salvation. Islam, forgiveness is based on the individual's works and then Allah's grace. On the Day of Judgment, if his good works outweigh his bad ones, if Allah so wills it, and has not changed his mind, he may be forgiven of all his sins and then enter paradise. 

The bottom line is that a Muslim has no assurance to enter paradise while the God of the Bible gives access to heaven to anyone who comes by Jesus.  In Christianity, we depend on the work of Christ on the cross and nothing in ourselves as a basis for forgiveness, because we are told no good thing dwells within us (Rom.7:18) Salvation then becomes the work of God, not of man. For the simple reason that God is to Holy to allow man to enter his presence by the work of sinful hands. So Jesus who had no sin did the work needed for all to be acceptable. But to have this work Jesus did on the cross we must recognize who He actually is and believe, rely on Him fully for it to be applied to us. 

Why is it so hard for Muslim to become a Christian or join another religion? Mohammed said, “Whoever changes his Islamic religion, kill him.” (Hadith vol. 9:57) It would seem this is a good deterrent for those who want to consider something else. Is Islam tolerant? For themselves yes. does any other religion threaten death to those who would want to pursue another, no.

How can Muslims know if their good deeds outweigh their bad ones? There is only one alternative, Christ, who alone gives us the assurance of salvation: 1 John 5:11-15: “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”

Acts 13:26 “Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent.”

If you are interested in assurance of salvation to be able to stand in the presence of God with glories forever more we need to heed what apostle Peter said: “Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Why would a Christian who knows God personally want to give up their free gift of salvation and the assurance of eternal life for the religion of Islam; where they must depend upon their own works to give them only a possibility of salvation?