Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Islam

Jesus said that “all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John” (Matt. 11:13). This means that the age of God revealing His way of salvation in Scripture ended with the coming of His Son Jesus Christ. The 1st century apostles and prophets wrote down the things they had seen and heard. The Christ had come and this meant that redemption had been complete. The Scriptures do not declare that another prophet was still to come. Rather, Jesus Christ warned of false prophets who would come after Him in Matthew 7:15: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Jesus also warned that after his death and resurrection (which Mohammed denied), “many false prophets will arise and lead many astray” (Matt. 24:11). Christians should not be surprised that Mohammed and other so-called prophets have arisen with a new way of gaining salvation. Christians know that Mohammed was a false prophet because He denies what Jesus Christ revealed. Christ revealed that He was God in the flesh and that—by His death and resurrection—He would save the world.

Was Jesus God or was He only a prophet who prepared the way for Mohammed? The answer is that Jesus claimed to be God not only by what he said (Jn. 8:58), but also by his actions and works. If he was only a prophet, then how did he have the authority to forgive sins? Only God can forgive sins. The Jews recognized this blasphemy when Jesus forgave the sin of the paralytic (Mark 2:1-11) and the sinful woman (Luke 7:36-50). They knew that he was acting as if he was God. Indeed, it was for blasphemy that the council of chief priests, elders, and scribes condemned Jesus as deserving death (Mark 14:64). The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church also confirm that the whole purpose of Christ coming into the world was to bring the forgiveness of sins (Ap, IV, 51). To truly know Christ is to use the benefits of Christ, which is to seek the forgiveness of sins from Him (Ap, IV, 46, 154; XXIV, 72). By forgiving other people their sins He did not leave open the option to identify Him as only a prophet. Jesus was either a false prophet or He was God in the flesh.

If Jesus was not God, but only a prophet, then how could he in good conscience receive worship? God said in Exodus 34:14, “You shall worship no other god.” In spite of this, Jesus received worship. Prophets who receive worship are evil and should be rejected completely. The Apostle John attempted to worship an angel of God when he saw a vision of the marriage supper of the Lamb. But the angel said, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant…” (Rev. 19:10). If Jesus was a prophet then worshipping him is in conflict with Exodus 34:14 which forbids the worship of men. But he did receive worship by the wise men (Matt. 2:11), the disciples (Matt. 14:33; 28:9, 17; Luke 24:52), the blind man (John 9:38), and the angels themselves (Heb. 1:6)! Hebrews 1:6 says, “Let all the angels of God worship him.” Jesus Christ was who He claimed to be: the one and true God. The Lutheran Confessions also testify that the highest form of worship is to receive the forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ (Ap, IV, 154). That is, one worships Christ by seeking forgiveness of Him because He is the only God who can give it.

Jesus Christ also claimed that He was the way, the truth, and the life and that no one comes to the Father except through Him (Jn. 14:6). John the Baptist said: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (Jn. 3:36). The Apostles declared: “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The Scriptures declare this because Christ died for the sins of the whole world and rose again on the third day conquering death. His is the only perfect atoning sacrifice for sin (AC, XXIV, 25; Ap, XXIV, 21, 53). The Apostle Paul declared: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4). At the heart and soul of the work of Christ is his death for sin and his resurrection from the dead. Mohammed denies this, further confirming that he was a false prophet. The Apostle Paul declared: “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). Paul knows nothing but the crucifixion of Christ in his preaching because he believed that God put forth Christ as a sacrifice to make propitiation through His blood. Paul declares that Christians are “justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith” (Rom. 3:24-25). Paul further declares in his letter to the Galatians: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Gal. 3:13). Indeed, by the vicarious atonement of Jesus Christ the penalty of sin was paid for (Ap, IV, 53). On the cross, Jesus Christ took our guilt and punishment and died in our place. Additionally, Paul says that if Christ has not been raised our faith is futile and we are still in sin (1 Cor. 15:17). Christians confess the resurrection from the dead (Nicene Creed, 10) because Christ’s resurrection makes this possible. Mohammed denies the death and resurrection of Jesus which was necessary for the salvation of the world. By doing this He makes Himself a false prophet and his revelation is counterfeit.

Since Christ has been given as an undeserved sacrifice for sin, the Apostle Paul declares that believers in Christ are justified by God’s free grace through faith and not by works. Paul declares: “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law” (Rom. 3:28). Paul also states: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). Salvation is a gift because Christ has come to give it as a gift through His death and resurrection. Paul makes it clear that Christ “saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began” (2 Tim. 1:9). The Lutheran Confessions also confirm this in Article IV of the Augsburg Confession:

It is taught that we cannot obtain forgiveness of sin and righteousness before God through our merit, work, or satisfactions, but that we receive forgiveness of sin and become righteous before God out of grace for Christ’s sake through faith when we believe that Christ has suffered for us and that for his sake our sin is forgiven and righteousness and eternal life are given to us. For God will regard and reckon this faith as righteousness in his sight, as St. Paul says.

Islam teaches that salvation is by works and that people cannot have certainty of their salvation. Further, Islam teaches that forgiveness is obtained by earning it which damages the teaching of grace. This teaching conflicts with the whole purpose of Christ coming into the world.

Christian Witness

To the more moderate Muslim who believes in the so-called Injil of Jesus, I would ask the following questions: If your own Scriptures declare that Christ was born of a Virgin, then how is it that you say Mohammed is a greater prophet when he was born naturally? Further, your own Scriptures declare that Jesus was sinless and that Mohammed was sinful. How can Mohammed be a greater prophet if this is true? The concept of being sinless after the Fall is a characteristic that declares Christ’s divinity. How is it that the Koran declares Christ’s sinless life but also denies His divinity? This is not possible.

Additionally, if Christ is said to be sinless in the Koran, then that means He did not need forgiveness. Further, the Koran declares that Jesus was the promised Messiah. What does the word Messiah mean? It means the “Anointed One.” The people of God were awaiting an Anointed One to be their Savior. Since Jesus Christ was sinless, how could He not be the Savior from sin? Your concept of Messiah is mistaken, and it does not do justice to the Old Testament Scriptures. Abraham, Moses, and David foretold the coming of this Messiah who would be the Savior of the world. And since Mohammed believed that Jesus was the Messiah, Mohammed and Muslims should believe in Him for their salvation. How can Muslims declare Jesus as the promised Messiah but reject what He as the Messiah brings? Jesus as the promised Messiah brings salvation. That was His purpose in coming into the world. Why is it that Mohammed began a whole new religion with a completely different direction when the Messiah had already come? This conflicts with the coming of the promised Messiah who was to bring salvation.

If I was speaking to a Muslim that believed the highest virtue in Islam was martyrdom and valued the suicide bombers in the Middle East, I would say this: Jesus Christ has come and has been martyred for you so that you would not have to die for God. God sent Jesus to be the martyr and Savior of the world. By his martyrdom, you no longer have to die for the cause of God. But God is gracious and He has given you Jesus for your salvation. By believing in Him you can have assurance of your salvation because God has given Him as a sacrifice and a free gift. You no longer have to die to get to God. Christ has died in your place.