The Gospel for Muslims

[Chad]

The Gospel for Muslims

<!-- start main content -->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 cannot 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:

• that He gives eternal life, (John 10:28-30).
• that He received all authority in heaven and earth, (Matt. 28:18).
• that He is the Way the Truth and The Life, (John 14:6).
• that He will resurrect people on the Last Day, (John 6:40, 44, 54).
• that the Holy Spirit bears witness of Him, (John 15:26).

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.

 

[Hekuran]

Thanks for posting this. It's very helpful. I like the way it respectfully avoids putting Islam down or pointing out problems with the Koran; rather it shows the better way.

Clear and biblical too.

 

[Etienne Marais]

I also think this is helpful. We must keep on spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the muslims. They need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

[stephen]

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.

.................................................


Sadly for the Western world..... the foundation faith of the muslim is not based upon the freedom of Christianity..... expressed in the words of Jesus "I came to give life.....and that in abundance"

The muslim brings Eastern bondage....unknown afore in the West

 

[Brother Mike]

Great Post Chad

Good post Chad. I have a few books on how to witness to Muslims.

As a big pain as they are to witness to, they do want to believe in a God. You also have to put up with them putting your faith down, but you should never put down what they believe or else you loose them.

What are some thoughts on this though.

In the last days with the end time bad guy Anti-Christ and his mark. I believe Satan will have a issue with Islam. I don't think they are going to buy into Satan's last push for world take over and will be a thorn in his side.

Of course that is just going to be one of his issues. We know the end, He fails miserably.


Jesus Is Lord.

 

[shipwrecksoul]

My Good friend Mohamed

My friend Mohamed used to work with me for 13 years. We laughed and joked and cried together. One day he told me about Abraham and Isaac. I could not believe the detail in which he spoke. I also added to Gods truth that John the baptist pointed to Jesus and said behold the lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. We last worked together over ten years ago. Three months ago he called me up to share how he and his family were doing. He even shared with me his pictures of his children. May God bless Mohamed in his decision to call on Jesus as his Lord and Savior!

 

[Janette]

Common blood...

Just as most Christians have not read the Koran, most Muslims have not read the Bible.

This becomes important because the Koran says Muslims are to honor the Torah as being "part" of "the Book." So if you can show places in the Old Testament that point to Christ, you can sometimes use that to open Muslim eyes.

The following URL has a lengthy examination of the story of Abraham and Isaac, using both Sura from the Koran and Scripture to show how the story actually points to the divinity of Christ.

http://www.answering-islam.org/Gilch...04abraham.html
(posted with permission from Chad)

 

[Brother Mike]

Awesome

Great Point Janet!!! I have read the Koran through. What is apparent in the Koran is that Allah is more interested in what Allah loves and not much interested in the actual people. Showing the Love of God has also has helped me.

The issue I have with going back to the old Testament is that for some reasons Muslims accept that and say we have the same God. You have to be very tactful in getting around this.

Good post!!!

 

[Janette]

More through than around...

I find that if you can get the Muslims to examine the difference in character between Allah and God that they will eventually admit that overall the God we worship just flat seems more just even *by* the standards *in* the Koran than the god depicted in the Koran.

When the character of God can be shown across both the OT and NT to be the same "yesterday, today, and tomorrow," the Koran starts to look like the oddball in the group (because it is). Most little children know how to play the game of "one of these things is not like the others."

Generally though, it takes a Muslim who is already questioning Islam for me to be an effective witness...gender is a huge barrier.