|
The
Gospel for Muslims
Dear
Muslim,
Assalamu alaikum
The Gospel of Jesus is Good News.
That is what "gospel" means in Greek. It is the
good news because Jesus has removed the requirements of keeping
the Law in order to obtain salvation and that through Jesus, we
can obtain eternal life. Jesus made it possible for people
to receive the free and complete gift of salvation by faith.
Our father Abraham believed God and it
was counted to him as righteousness (Gen.
15:6). It was his faith in God that made Abraham
righteous before God, not keeping the law, not keeping the
commandments.
The Law of God is perfect because God is
perfect. The Law is a reflection of the character of God.
It is wrong to lie because lying is against God's character.
It is wrong to steal because stealing is against God's character.
That is why the Law tells us what is wrong. God is not
arbitrary and neither is His Law. Though the Law
is good and perfect, no man can keep it perfectly. No
person can keep the Law.
Jesus taught us that
to even look on a woman with lust in your heart is to commit
adultery with her (Matt.
5:27-28). You see,
the Law of God is not simply to govern actions. It is for
our hearts and attitudes. Purity of heart is what God wants
from us. Purity of heart down to the deepest part of our
being. Why? Because God's heart is the Purest and
Most Holy of all. And since the Law was spoken by Him and
came from Him, the Law is Perfect and Holy. That is
the level of perfection you must have when trying to keep the
Law.
However, we are not able to keep the
Law. We sin. We fail. The Law says do not lie,
but shows us where we lie -- in our very hearts. It says do
not commit adultery, but shows us where we commit adultery -- in
our hearts. The Law of God is perfect. We are not.
God is perfect and Holy. We are not. We are not able
to keep the Law of God because we are finite, limited, and
affected by sin. How can anyone ever hope to please God
through keeping the Law? How can anyone ever hope to please
God and attain heaven by doing good deeds? It is not
ourselves that we must please, but a Holy and Pure God.
The Good News
The
Good News is that you do not have to try and keep the Law of God
to please Him. You do not have to try and raise yourself to
the level of God's Perfection by trying to keep His Holy and
Perfect Law. You cannot do that. If you thought you
could, then your heart is full of pride. What you can not
do, Jesus did do. He kept all the Law perfectly (1
Pet. 2:22).
Jesus said that "Greater love
has no man than this, that he lay his life down for his
friend," (John
15:13). Jesus laid his life down for his friends. Jesus
performed the greatest act of love in the universe. He died
for our sins. He paid the penalty of breaking the Law,
which is death. If this were not so, there would be no
damnation. Jesus took our sins and died on the cross in our
place (1 Pet. 2:24).
This great act of love is unsurpassed in all the world. It
means that you can, like Abraham (Gen. 15:6),
be righteous by faith. All you need is faith in Jesus.
Are you tired of trying to keep all the
Laws in Islam as you strive to do more good deeds than bad deeds
in the hope that on the Day of Judgment your good deeds will
outweigh your bad? Because you earn in large part your
salvation, you cannot know whether or not you will be saved.
If you are tired of trying to be perfect, of trying to obtain
Paradise through your works, then you need Jesus. Jesus
said, "If any of you are heavy laden, come to me, and I
will give you rest," (Matt.
11:28).
Jesus forgave sins in Luke
5:20 and 7:48-49. He walked
on water (Matt.
14:25). He rose
from the dead (Matt.
28:6). Have you
done more than He in keeping the Law or performing miracles?
Has even the Prophet Muhammad done more than Jesus?
The Good News is that you, like Abraham,
can be made righteous by faith. Do you want the
righteousness that is by faith? Or, do you want to earn
Paradise through your deeds? Can you earn it? Have
you done it so far? Have you been doing enough?
Jesus
said:
Do you
want to try and please God through keeping the Law of Allah or by
the grace of Christ? Is the greatest act of love to ask you
to earn heaven through good deeds or is it to be a sacrifice in
order to give to you what you cannot attain yourself? In
which is the greatest act of love?
If you want the eternal life that Jesus
can give you, then trust what He did on the cross and do not
rely on your own works to please God. Trust Jesus by faith.
It is not Muhammad who forgives sins. Jesus does that (Luke
5:20; 7:48-49). Jesus said, "Believe
in God. Believe also in me," (John
14:1).
Like Abraham, be righteous in God's eyes
. . by faith.
|