Contrast Christianity with Islam: salvation claims

The differences between Islam and Christianity derive from a distinction in their core beliefs on the nature of God, the nature of man, and the understanding of sin. Both religions agree that God created man, and then gave him stewardship over all creation, and they also acknowledge that something has gone wrong, and man no longer acts according to God's will. Both Christians and Muslim seek to live godly lives, described as the straight path for Muslims (Qur'an 1:1-7), and the narrow path for Christians described by Jesus (Matthew 7:14). How are these paths different, and how do Christianity and Islam explain eternal salvation despite the fallen condition of man?¹

Muslim do not believe there was an active rebellion of man against God to cause the fall from the primordial condition. Rather, they believe that everybody is capable of doing the right thing, but they forget. In Qur'an 7:172, Allah gathers all of humanity, and makes them testify that they recognize him as lord, so they will be without an excuse on the day of the resurrection for not living according to his will as a Muslim, this is the Covenant of Alast. To them a man sins when he forgets to do the right thing, once he repents he is forgiven, and this requires no bloody sacrifice.² Because Allah and man could not have a relationship, sin cannot affect their relationship, man does not need to be redeemed, he just needs to remember. According to Hasan Askar, a Muslim author, there is no conversion in Islam just restoration, or a remembering of the original state, as every human being is born Muslim.³

The Qur'an talks about a right path to follow, a lifestyle pleasing to Allah. This idea is found in Qur'an 1:1-7 and 22:54. If sin is forgetfulness, its proper remedy is remembrance, which is why Allah sent as many as 124 000 prophets. Even Mohammad referred to himself as the “warner”. Prophets came to give people divine guidance, what they had forgotten. To help them remember, Muslims perform the Salat which is a ritual prayer (Qur'an 76:25-26), they have Sharia law, which holds principles found in the Qur'an and Hadiths, assembled to help all remember the ways of Allah for political, social and personal life. Obedience to god's revealed guidance is the way to salvation. As Qur'an 5:10 says: “To those who believe and do deeds of righteousness hath God promised forgiveness and a great reward”⁴, Muslim theologians Muhammad abul Quasem writes “the Qur'an teaches that the means to salvation in the Hereafter on the human side are belief or faith and action.”⁵

The right beliefs include the Shahada, the Muslim confession of faith, in Allah the only God and Muhammad his messenger, and they need to accept the doctrines of Islam concerning Monotheism, Angels, Revelation, Prophets, Judgment, and Heaven and Hell.⁶ As important as these beliefs are, salvation in Islam is not “by faith alone”, as it is a rule keeping religion, they are required to keep all five pillars of the Faith: belief, prayer, fasting, giving alms, and pilgrimage.⁷ These pillars are non negotiable, criticizing them is considered blaspheme.⁸ As well as these works, inner purity is also required, faith and works do not guarantee anything. Each man will be judged by what he has done, which means there is never assurance of salvation during any body's life time. Allah is considered sovereign, and it is not for anybody to know who will go to paradise. From the very beginning of Islam, Muslims have feared for their eternal destinies, but they do not see it negatively, because it motivates obedience.⁹

Allah shows his mercy by sending Prophets so that the people would remember his ways. Men are saved by Allah's mercy and forgiveness. Qur'anic faith has only room for salvation by man's right actions and by Allah's predestination (Qur'an 5:18: 16:93). Uncertainty for salvation is turned into relative certainty in case of death in Holy war or being able to recite the whole Qur'an.¹⁰

Christianity takes the effects of the fall very seriously. Mankind is messed up, and everybody sins (Rom.3-9-20; Eph. 2:13). Rather than sin just being forgetfulness, Christians view sin as a disease, often referred to by Muslim's as “pessimism of Christian diagnosis”. A Christian response to Islam is that if guidance was the remedy to sin, why did Allah have to send 124 000 prophets to the people, and not just one. Christians believe mankind needs redemption, not just revelation.¹¹

Muslims do not understand how their sins could affect God, due to their different understanding of the nature of God, and His relationship with mankind. In the Christian's understanding, Adam and Eve were in the presence of God. God's holiness cannot suffer defilement, so when man sinned, this caused a separation between him and God. God wants us to be holy (Lev. 11:44), but the Old Testament sacrifices were not enough to atone men's sins, because they were being offered by men who had sins of there own. Mankind needed Jesus' perfect sacrifice (John 1:29) to be saved. Now, Christians believe they need to repent, trust Jesus as savior for their sin, and follow him.¹²

For Muslims, the incarnation and sacrifice does not make sense because they do not view God's love in terms of a relationship. Allah shows mercy, he can communicate, but there is no relationship. The God of the Bible wants relationships, because that is the kind of God He is, and his sacrifice for man's sin shows how much he loves the world (John 3:16). Christians can still have doubt in life, but they know that Jesus' death was enough for the full payment of their sin, and they are assured salvation. This can be seen negatively, and referred to as “saviorism”, because it leaves the impression that Christians can live as they please, but the truth is that Jesus died for more than the salvation of sins, the goal is that one can be transformed, and then participate in the divine nature (2 Pet 1:4).¹³

In conclusion, Christianity and Islam have two different claims of salvation. Christians believe they are saved when they believe. Their faith was given to them by God (Eph 2:8), and transforms them into a new being (2 Cor.5:17), washed from the former self. Muslim's have a more legalistic system, where salvation must be earned, Christians are saved by Grace alone through faith alone, Muslims are motivated by fear, to do works, without ever knowing if they have done enough, or if Allah has even destined them for paradise.¹⁴

1 Timothy George, Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad? Understanding the Differences between Christianity and Islam (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002), 108.

2 George, Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad?, 111.

3 Norman L. Geisler and Abdul Saleeb, Answering Islam: the Crescent in Light of the Cross (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1993), 122.

4 George, Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad?, 106-110.

5 Geisler and Saleeb, Answering Islam, 121.

6 Ergun Mehmet Caner and Emir Fethi Caner, Unveiling Islam: an Insider's Look at Muslim Life and Beliefs (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2002), 144-145.

7 George, Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad?, 110.

8 Caner and Caner, Unveiling Islam, 122.

9 Geisler and Saleeb, Answering Islam, 126.

10 Steven Paas, Beliefs and Practices of Muslims – The Religion of our Neighbours (Zomba, Malawi: Good Messenger Publications, 2006), 65.

11 George, Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad?, 115.

12 George, Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad?, 116.

13George, Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad?, 119-120.

14Josh McDowell & Don Stewart, Understanding Non-Christian Religions (San Bernardino, CA: Here's Life Pub, 1982), 176-177.

Forgiveness

Here are some notes I got from listening to Greg Boyd/ Vanessa Williams Sermon, this is all from the second part, it's about forgiveness. I really enjoyed it. 

Colossians 3 ¹² Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, ¹³ bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Forgiveness is a command, we must forgive, Paul writes! It is more than just a good idea, it is central in the Christian Faith.

If there was no forgiveness, there would be no good news, we would still be in our sins, and there is no hope.

Unforgiveness is inconsistent with Christian living. It is a stumbling block to life, making it harder for us to be compassionate, to be kind, humble, patient, ... Good Christian living involves nurturing the good in our life, but also to get rid of the bad.

What is forgiveness?

• Forgiveness means giving up the debt when you have been hurt. It means letting go in our hearts. 
• Not forgiving and reminding a person of what they have done is like being wounded, and reminding the person who wounded us that he did, and then we never let the wound heal.

How do you forgive?

• Talk to God, ask that he would reveal the people we need to forgive. 
• And try to imagine what forgiving them looks like (a phone call?). Then what it looks like after, is there a restored relationship?

What if you do not want to forgive?

• Be honest about it! God cannot work with you if you are not honest with Him. We should ask to want to forgive. If we are not even there yet, pray about wanting to want to forgive!

What if the person is not repentant?

•   Jesus died for us while we were still sinners. (Rom 5:8). When we can forgive someone who does not seem to care whether they hurt us or not, that is a way to show God's love. What would it look like if God would forgive us only once we were repentant? What if we would sin just before dying? Forgiving the non-repentant allows a restored relationship as soon as the person does ask for forgiveness.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

 What if the person you have to forgive is you?

• That often happens. I think often I'm harsher on myself than others. But is that not just a sign of self-righteousness. If God has already forgiven me, and I cannot forgive myself, does that just mean that my standards are higher than God's?!

 Why is unforgiveness hard?

• We think not forgiving allows us to control the situation.
• Fear, that it might happen again

Use the church!

• A lot of things work better when we do it as a team. Talk with your friends, family, local church, about issues you are having, allowing people to help you forgive and let go.

 True forgiveness, is not reminding a person what they did to you, over and over again. You will always remember, but not remind others.

Slavery & Bible - Philemon and Onisimos

Have you ever heard this?

The Bible is outdated, and cannot be trusted because it condones slavery? 

I think they could rightfully condemn Christians of being hypocrites, and I mean no offense by that! But if you want to attack the Bible you need to stop making it say stuff that it really does not say, and take the Class of NT Background Class to understand the culture and context in which the texts were written.


I went on a website called  evilbible.com – the moto being “Fighting against immorality in religion”? Why can't you just fight for immorality in real life? Do you know any Christian who owns slaves?

The blogger takes passages out of their context trying to laugh at Bible believing Christians, saying things like: a Christian can buy as many sex slaves as he wants, as long as he feeds them, and clothes them, with no evidents. Just because the Bible holds a story about a woman getting raped, does not mean it condones Rape does it? And then again, some Biblical Passages are more difficult to Understand, during war, God tells the Israelites to go into villages, killing everyone and they can take the virgins for themselves, which shocks me too. No Christian interprets that verse to mean that we should do what Israel was commanded to do during war. And If you think you understand the Bible better than Bible Scholars, well good for you!

The Bible never condemns slavery, that is true. But it rather outrageously tells slaves to submit to their master as it is pleasing to the Lord. (Col 3:22; Eph 6:5). And Christian Masters are to respect, and love their slaves.


Let's look at Jesus -

 Though he was God,
    he did not think of equality with God
    as something to cling to.
⁷ Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
    he took the humble position of a slave
    and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
⁸     he humbled himself in obedience to God
    and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Because we have that kind of Savior, when we are commanded to serve, we do, or should do it gladly!

Having said that I still think the question: why doesn't the Bible Condemn Slavery? Is a good question! A simple answer is, well does it encourage it? What it does say is that if you are going to be someone's slave, be the best slave the master has ever seen so that Christ will be glorified, the Kingdom may advance, the Master can get to know Christ, and Christ be proclaimed to all the nations!  That would be a way better witness about Christ than a rebellious slave!

Let's look at Paul's letter to Philemon:

With the Historical background of the time, and the knowledge of what is was at that time to be a slave, we will see how amazing this passage truly was.

Summary of the Letter to Philemon:

• Greeting (1-3)
• Philemon's love and faith (4-7)
  • Philemon is a real Christian
    • Paul mentions his love, and faith towards Jesus and the Saints (v.5)
    • Sharing his faith (v.6)
    • Paul feels joy when he thinks of his brother in Christ Philemon (v.7)
      • after reading Paul's letter he does not feel like the kind of guy that would rejoice with an evil doer!
  • So I repeat Philemon is a good Christian!
• Paul's plea for Onesimus (8-22)
  • Onesimus Good Christian
    • Helpful to Paul
    • a beloved brother
  • Paul asks Philemon to receive his runaway slave back,
    • if you are a slave running away from your master, once you leave there is no stability of food, or anything, temptation to steal is very high.
  • Paul takes this in mind saying that if he has wrong Philemon in anyway, he will repay for him.

What was it like to be a slave back then?? When I think of slaves, I think: of a black person being whipped, I have this one picture in my mind, I see this man, in agony. So anything but condemnation is unacceptable in my eyes. And I think it is with this perspective that some skepticts faith the Bible. So what was is like back then?

• Slavery was a basic element in ancient society.
  • Who were they?: prisoners of war, sold child to pay debt, some people sold themselves.
• Status: they were things, living property.
• What this looked like in real life could vary a lot.
  • Some were probably treated really poorly, they worked in mines really long hours, they weren't expected to live long
  • Some had important roles in society, imperial slaves, could have high administrative functions in the bureaucracy. Others like Alfred in Batman, slaves who tended house hold affairs, cared for children, could have been responsible for the children's education.
  • Some slaves even got paid. It feels like the slaves with the best conditions lived better than poor freemen! ¹

How does this help us to better understand the text?!

• A master had the legal right to kill a runaway slave,² So Onesimus feared for his life!
• The word slave, had very broad meaning, we clearly see that though Philemon could kill, Onesimus, Paul exposes the teachings of the “Christian way of doing things”. To show him kindness, as he would to a family member (v. 16)
• The person accused of condoning slavery is sacrificially giving up a friend who is useful to him. And pleading that that is friend Philemon will accept his old slaves as a brother, as family, rather than punishing him.
• From what I read, the broadness of slavery makes it hard to narrow down to one kind of slave, but I feel like being the slave of a Christian would be a good job!
• I remember a friend trying to explain that being God's slave was awesome, think of the greatest boss you've ever had, because serving God is having to serve the greatest master on the universe!
   

We think slavery is something of the past, but it is not:

• But today there are 27 million people in the world who are subject to slavery: forced labor, sex trade, inheritable property, etc.
• I think saying that the Bible condones slavery today, is an outrageous statement,
• But if we think of slaves today, and apply what Paul teaches about slaves, would they still look like slaves in our minds?
  • Col 4:1 Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness,
  • Eph 6 Masters treating their slaves in a way pleasing to God, not threatening

To Conclude: The Bible does not condemn slavery: but it is wrong to say the Bible condones it, because if those who applied what the Bible taught, their slaves would not look at all like slaves as we would know them.

In the 1^st century, slaves were part of everyday society, some say 1/5 of the inhabitants of Rome. Officially they were not worth more than an object, so Paul's instructions on how to treat Slaves in Christ are truly shocking for the time of his writing, and they really helped Christians distinguish themselves from non-believers, so that people would know they were Jesus' disciples, and God would be glorified!

³⁴ So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. ³⁵ Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

1Furgason

2Life application Bible p. 2084 under 1:10

Christians and Nazism - A Biblical View

     The Bible is clear that a Christian must be subject to “the governing authorities” (Rom 13:1), but what does that really mean? Throughout history, some governments have made it hard for Christians to sincerely obey biblical principles alongside with their civil law. How is a religious group to respond to its government in a scenario like Nazi Germany or Fascist Italy? Different religious groups have split over the issue, some choosing to support their government, others to actively oppose it, while some groups choosing to remain silent and out of the political scene. After studying the different views, we will see which view is the most biblical.

 
     Two famous passages quoted from the Bible to study the relationship between a Christian and his government are Romans 13:1, and Jesus' famous words found in all three synoptic gospels: “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”¹ Romans 13 has been used by governments to convince Christians that they need to obey them, for their authority was given to them by God, thus, disobeying them would be disobeying God, and “not Christian.” Taken out of its context they quote: “whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” In the passage found in Matthew 22, Mark 12 and Luke 20, where Jesus is questioned whether it is right to pay taxes to Caesar, we can see that if Jesus was ever going to tell his disciples to actively oppose the government, this was a great opportunity to do it. This passage is then used to back up Romans 13, they argue that a Christian must submit to the authorities, and add that even Jesus said so. Other passages used to argue that Christians need to support their government are Titus 1:2-3, and 1 Peter 2:13-17.²

    
     The problem with the verses quoted to encourage Christians to support their government no matter what, is that there can be a tension between the civil law, and God's law. Dietrich Bonhoeffer argues that when there is conflict between God and the government, a Christian's “duty of obedience is binding on him until government directly compels him to offend against the divine commandment”. This idea is found in Acts 5, when the commandments of men clashed with those of God, Peter and the apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than any human authority.” Bonhoeffer also argues that the passages about Christians needing to submit to the authorities like Romans 13 and Titus 3, are seen as a command that will lead them to do what is good. Governments possess a clear role, they are to serve God by executing justice in the land. As soon as a government no longer fulfills his God appointed task, a Christian cannot sincerely obey its laws for they will cause him to sin.³ When Christians realize they cannot obey their government with good conscience, there are two possibilities, either they try to live out their faith quietly, trying to remain at peace with everyone, or they actively oppose the government. The Bible is full of verses calling Christians to seek peace with everyone, some groups who seek pacifism “have made the duty of every single man who calls himself “Christian” in all seriousness to take the most frightful punishment upon himself rather than go to war.” Passages such as “Though shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13), or “But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39), and “Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.”” (Matthew 26: 52) are used⁴. Can those who decide to remain silent under an oppressive government, and out of their way claim to be doing God's will, when we have other passages in the Bible encouraging Christians to act when they are in the presence of the oppressed. An important verse that encouraged the small Party of the Confessing Christians in Nazi Germany, to oppose their government was the following “He that is not against us is for us” (Mark 9:40).⁵ Those who choose to be active in their opposition of the government, believe that in being passive Christians are approving the government, while keeping their hands clean. They feel they have an obligation to help the poor, relying on passages like Proverbs 31:8-9, “8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.9 Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”⁶ In his letter to the Galatians (4:29), Paul says that the same way Jesus suffered and died for us, we should be willing to suffer for others, and again in Matthew 25: 31-46, Jesus is glorified in our outreach, when we help others.⁷ Some people go further saying that under circumstances like those of the Third Reich, “not plotting Hitler's death, would be irresponsible action.”⁸

  
     To conclude, the Bible gives us many passages about how to live Godly lives. A theme that often comes back throughout the Bible is peace, which is part of the fruit of the spirit. Paul writes, that as much as it depends on us, we must live at peace with everyone (Rom. 12:18). We must love our enemies (Mat. 5:43), but we must also hate evil ( Rom. 12:9), and be imitators of God (Eph. 5:1). Living by God's word is impossible to do by Christian groups who think God wants them to support their government in Nazi Germany or Fascist Italy. Christians are not of this world (John 17:16), and should not identify with it (2 Tim 2:4, 1 John 2:15), biblically, Christians are called to action, to fight for the rights of the helpless and speak up for those who don't have a voice, and to look after those who cannot look after themselves (Mat. 25; Prov.31; Jas.1). Jesus said that he kept his followers in the world so that through the way they act in unity and their words, more people will come to know the saving grace of Jesus Christ (John 17:20-21), which can be done effectively while actively opposing an evil government.

1 D.A. Carson, Christ and Culture Revisited (Grand Rapids, MI.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2008), 159.

2 James I.H. McDonald, “Romans 13:1-7 and Christian social ethics today”, Modern Churchman ns29 no 2 (1987), http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=3e31f3a3-ea18-48d8-b4a0-f9992ac2f8fb%40sessionmgr15&vid=3&hid=23 (accessed May 3^rd, 2013),

3 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Ethics, ed. Eberhard Bethge (NY: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1961), 307.

4 Larry L. Rasmussen, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Reality and Resistance (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1972), 96

5 Rasmussen, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Reality and Resistance, 34

6 Rasmussen, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Reality and Resistance, 37

7 Rasmussen, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Reality and Resistance, 40

8 Rasmussen, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Reality and Resistance, 51