Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Sin & Salvation In Islam & Christianity: Accord and Discord (Part 2)


ISLAM & CHRISTIANITY: ACCORD & DISCORD

            In the first part, the pertinent teachings from both the worldviews (Islam and Christianity) were presented. The next logical step is to observe the areas of accord (agreement) and discord (disagreement) between these major world religions.

ACCORD IN ISLAM & CHRISTIANITY

            Islam and Christianity are theistic religions, believing in the existence of God. The scriptures – the Quran and the Bible, are considered to be God’s revelations to mankind. These revelations affirm that Satan is the author of evil and sin entered the earth through him.

            The sovereignty of God, especially with reference to the final judgment of sins is affirmed by both the scriptures. The reward for belief and punishment for sin, whereby believers gain paradise or heaven (eternal life) and unbelievers the hell (eternal death), is clearly emphasized in these worldviews.

DISCORD BETWEEN ISLAM & CHRISTIANITY

            Even though Islam and Christianity have the same belief with respect to a few points related to sin and salvation, it is to be affirmed that there are disagreements also. Islam and Christianity differ and contradict each other on many counts.

            Let’s consider five points of disagreement between Islam and Christianity:

            First: The First Sin. A conflict occurs as early as in the account of the first sin. Even though the Quran records that Adam and Eve sinned, it also records that they realized their sin and pleaded to Allah for forgiveness (Surah 7:23). As a result, Allah forgave them (Surah 2:37) and Adam was accorded the status of a prophet.

            On the other hand, the Bible does not record this instance of repentance and forgiveness. The Bible states that Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden and were forbidden to eat of the tree of life.

            Islam believes in salvation by works that is initiated by man, so it records in Adam’s account that Allah will only forgive those who truly repent. On the contrary, the Bible teaches that Adam was banished and forbidden to eat from the tree of life. This sets the scene for God to initiate salvation by grace, so that only those who truly repent and believe in Christ are saved.

            Second: The Transmission of Sin. The Quran teaches that sin is not transmitted into posterity because “all people are born as true Muslims, innocent, pure, and free (Qur’an 30:30).”39

            The Biblical teaching thoroughly disagrees with this line of thought. The Bible teaches that man is inherently sinful, sinful at the time of his birth.

            This disagreement implies that a Muslim will be forgiven by Allah if only he realizes his sinfulness and asks for forgiveness. On the contrary, the Bible teaches that man can only be saved by the grace of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose one-time perfect sacrifice gained salvation to all those who truly believe in Christ.

            This leads us to one of the core disagreements between Islam and Christianity, which pertains to one’s salvation.

            Third: The Means of Salvation. Islam is a proponent of salvation by works theology, whereas Christianity unquestionably asserts salvation by grace through faith. These teachings radically oppose each other.

            Either a believer believes in his works (salvation by works) or he believes in God’s work (salvation by God’s grace). The finitude of a believer whose logical implication is imperfection can never offer perfect works during his lifetime. A man cannot believe in both God’s work and his work, for the one denies and nullifies the other.

            If a believer cannot offer perfect works to the perfect God, then God, if HE chooses to accept the imperfect works of man, devoid of another equivalent act of making the imperfect perfect, then God would reveal an innate form of injustice - not a hallmark of a perfect being.

            The metaphysics of God would not allow God to accept the offer of imperfect sacrifices from man. God, who is ontologically perfect, cannot accept/tolerate imperfection of any manner or kind, whatsoever. Salvation by works would therefore be metaphysically impossible doctrine.

            Even the grace of God cannot compensate for man’s imperfect works. For grace is an attribute of an ontologically perfect God. Perfection is God’s ontic essence, whereas grace is an attribute of God. Metaphysically, any attribute of a perfect being should complement its ontic essence and shall not be in conflict.

            Fourth: The Means of Salvation – the Persons of Mohammed and Jesus Christ. This discord revolves around the central figures of Islam and Christianity – Prophet Muhammad and the Lord Jesus Christ, respectively. As the prefixes indicate one is a prophet and the other, God.

            Islam claims that Prophet Muhammad is the final prophet and an intercessor. Christianity asserts that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, and the Savior of mankind.

            Salvation within the Christian framework is personal, for a man is saved by the grace of God through faith in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

            Salvation in Islam is entirely dependant on a transcendent God, but not dependant on the person of the prophet Muhammad. A Muslim’s focus is more on the law than the person of God.

            A Muslim grows in the law, whereas a Christian grows into the likeness of the person of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. A Muslim knows his law, which supersedes the person of the Prophet Muhammad, whereas a Christian knows his Lord Jesus Christ.

            Fifth: The Assurance of Salvation.  Islam does not seem to provide its believers with complete and convincing assurance of their salvation. A Muslim is always dependent on his transcendent God, who decides the eternal fate of a Muslim.

            But Christianity provides complete and a convincing hope for the believer’s presence with God (Rom. 8:38), through the ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

CONCLUSION

            Given the points of agreements and disagreements, a logical conclusion is that the points of discord far outweigh those in accord.

            Islam and Christianity differ in the basic foundational aspects of the topics of sin, salvation, and assurance. In fact, we are well aware that Islam and Christianity do not worship the same God. So Islam and Christianity do not teach the same truths.

            However, it is interesting to note that both religions claim their Scriptures to be divinely revealed or inspired. Because of the prevalent fundamental and foundational contradictions, it is only plausible that a person will go to God through either the Islamic way or the Christian way, but certainly not through both the ways.

            Given this situation, it is the reader who should make a choice. But how would we make a wise choice if we do not read our Scripture completely, or even think our faith through?

            Let’s pray that every seeker of the truth would be humble and honest in his endeavor. The living God would illumine every seeking soul with the knowledge of his presence and the understanding of HIS truth.

            Even as I researched and authored this document, I should confess that my faith and conviction in Christ has only been strengthened. My love for Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away my sins, has only increased.

            The brutally profound words of Millard Erickson present an apt conclusion, “…throughout life, a person says to God, in effect, “Leave me alone.” Hell, the absence of God is simply giving that person at last what he or she has always asked for. It is not God, but one’s own choice that sends a person to hell.”40

            So it is only through belief in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that one would gain eternal life. The loving and the living God will act according to his good and perfect will to continually draw his people closer towards him. Amen.

Endnotes:

39Badru D. Kateregga, and David W. Shenk, A Muslim and a Christian Dialogue, (Scottdale: Herald Press, 1997), 45.

40Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology, (Michigan: Baker Academic, 1998), 456.

Monday, April 27, 2020

Brief Comparative Study Of Sin & Salvation In Islam & Christianity (Part 1)


INTRODUCTION

            Islam and Christianity control half of the world’s population, if not more. These religions claim the presence of divinely revealed sources of truth in the form of the Quran, the Hadith, and the Bible.

            A brief foundational outlook on the teachings of sin and salvation in Islam and Christianity are discussed here. The specific intent is to highlight the points of convergence and divergence of these subjects, so to encourage the reader into a deeper understanding leading to a lifetime decision about his faith, practice, and eternal destination.

            If both the Quran and the Bible are divinely revealed truths, then consistency should be the hallmark of the treatment of the subjects of sin and salvation. Any inconsistent or contradictory revelation of these subjects will reveal a vulnerability in either Islam or Christianity.

REVELATION IN ISLAM

            Comprehending the treatment of sin and salvation will lead us to explore the assurance of salvation revealed in the Islamic worldview. This section will highlight the subjects of sin, salvation, and the assurance of salvation, as revealed in the Quran and the Hadith.

SIN

            Norman Giesler and Abdul Saleeb quote the European Islamicist Stanton to emphasize the principal Islamic terms for sin, which are khati’ ah, ithm, and dhanb.1 Sin, in Islam, is the willful violation of a known or a given law.2

            Islam also teaches that man, as a finite creature, will be imperfect. Man becomes a sinner when he decides not to avail the means of perfection available to him.3 Quran implies that since man was created weak, it is quite typical for him to sin, “Allah would make the burden light for you, for man was created weak.”4

            It is noteworthy that Islam does not condemn a man for any of his childhood sins.5

            Furthermore, “The Quran also teaches that the first sinner was Adam (Surah 2:35), and yet the general belief of Moslems to-day is that all prophets, including Adam, were without sin.”6

ORIGIN OF SIN

            It was Satan who, in the beginning, misled Adam and Eve to disobey Allah by tasting the forbidden tree (Surah 7:12-22). “Soon after the entrance of Adam and Eve into the garden, Satan began his mission of leading humankind astray. Man’s first parents were deceived by Satan and were eventually expelled from heaven (7:20-25).”7

TRANSMISSION OF SIN

            Chawkat Moucary describes the Quranic teaching of the transmission of sin as follows: 8

From the perspective of the Qur’an, sin has consequences only for the one who commits it, for ‘no liability of one soul can be transferred to another’ (6:164, 17:15, 35:18, 39:7, 53:38). This is why Adam’s sin is seen to have had no repercussions on his descendants. Adam repented and God accepted his repentance (2:36-37). According to Faruqi, Adam’s disobedience was simply a misunderstanding of what was good and what was not: ‘Adam, therefore, did commit a misdeed, namely thinking evil to be good, of ethical misjudgment. He was the author of the first human mistake in ethical perception, committed with good intention, under the enthusiasm for the good. It was not a “fall” but a discovery that it is possible to confuse the good with the evil, that its pursuit is neither unilateral nor straightforward.’ All human beings, according to Islam, are born in a state of moral purity. Our disobedient acts do not fundamentally alter our status: although disobedient, we remain God’s servants and are able to compensate for our bad deeds by doing good works.

            Islam teaches that sin can be acquired but certainly not inborn in the human being. “Therefore if man rightly uses those special qualities which he has been endowed with, he can easily avoid sin. Sin is not inevitable, because man is not sinful.”9

MAJOR AND MINOR SINS

            “Some say there are seven great sins: idolatry, murder, false charge of adultery, wasting the substance of orphans, usury, desertion from Jihad, and disobedience to parents.”10 Islam also teaches that there are smaller and lighter offenses; all these will be forgiven easily if men steer clear of the great sins.11 Surah 4:48 speaks about an unforgivable sin termed Shirk (the sin of association), “Lo! Allah forgiveth not that a partner should be ascribed unto Him. He forgiveth (all) save that to whom He will. Whoso ascribeth partners to Allah, he hath indeed invented a tremendous sin.”12

SOVEREIGNTY OF ALLAH

            However, “committing a major sin does not mean that a person is no longer a believer; in this world he is regarded as a believer whose faith is lacking; he is a believer because of his faith and an evildoer because of his major sin. In the Hereafter, he will be subject to the will of Allah; if He wills He will forgive him and if He will He will punish him.”13 Even though there are major and minor sins, Allah is sovereign over all insomuch that He judges to forgive and penalize.

            Samuel Zwemer echoes the sovereignty of Allah when he says, “What Allah forbids is sin, even should he forbid what seems to the human conscience right and lawful. What Allah allows is not sin and cannot be sin at the time he allows it, though it may have been before or after.”14

            Not only does Islam teach about the sovereignty of Allah, but it also teaches about His transcendence with respect to the human sinfulness, “Islam teaches that our sins cannot offend our Creator, who stands too far above us to be directly concerned by our disobedience. When we commit sin we wrong ourselves; God remains unaffected: ‘Whoever transgresses God’s bounds does evil to himself’ (65:1; cf. 2:57; 7:160; 18:35; 35:32; 37:113).”15 In other words, Allah remains unaffected by human sin.

PUNISHMENT FOR SIN

            The consequence of sin is very evident in Islamic teaching, “The Qur’an is consistent in its emphasis that “…the alternative for each individual at the day of judgment are two: the bliss of the garden or the torment of fire.” Those who cross the sirat successfully enter heaven and those who fall off it are thrown into the abyss of hell.”16 Allah rewards people with either the bliss of heaven or the suffering in hellfire.

SALVATION

            Chawkat Moucarry explains salvation in Islam, “When we speak of salvation in Islam, what is meant is the way Muslims fulfill their religious obligations so that on the Day of Resurrection they escape God’s judgment, receive forgiveness, and enter paradise. Salvation has four components: faith, obedience, repentance, and the Prophet’s intercession on the last day.”17

NATURE OF SALVATION

            The nature of “salvation in Islam is , for the most part, a future state experienced only in the hereafter. It includes pardon from past sins and deliverance from hell, as well as gaining God’s favor and acceptance to heaven.”18

MEANS OF SALVATION

            The Islamic means to salvation is only through belief and works. Salvation cannot be achieved without any of these. Chawkat Moucarry states the importance of the first and the second components, namely faith, and obedience, in the following words:19

Islamic doctrine is summarized in these five articles of faith: belief in God, his angels, his books, his Apostles, and the Day of Judgment. However, faith is inseperable from practice (cf. 4:13-14). Foremost among the works of faith are ‘pillars’ of Islam: the receital of the confession of faith, (I bear witness that there is no god but God, and that Muhammed is the Apostle of God’), ritual prayer, statutory almsgiving, annual fasting, and the pilgrimage to Mecca. A Muslim’s salvation therefore depends on assent to the truths revealed in the Qur’an, as well as observance of religious duties and the moral ideal.  

            It is noteworthy that “some Muslims have included Jihad, an exertion in the cause of God or a holy war, as a sixth pillar of Islam.”20

            Repentance is the third component of salvation. A Muslim must also sincerely repent and ask for divine forgiveness (Surah 66:8; cf. 4:99; 9:102). A Muslim sincerely believes that Allah will forgive him by accepting his repentance (Surah 40:3). He is also encouraged to ask for forgiveness in true humility so that the divine sovereignty and generosity will be bestowed upon him.

            The fourth component of the means to salvation is the intercession of Prophet Muhammad. This is not mentioned in the Quran, but is based on the several narratives in the Hadith. Chawkat Moucarry describes this component as: 21

This intercession is seen as a privilege God has granted Muhammad and an expression of God’s mercy towards Muslims. It is based on Muhammad’s being the last Prophet (33:40) and on the fact that God has already forgiven his sins (48:1-3; 94:1-3). On the last day, Muhammad will ask God to grant forgiveness to the Muslims who need it most: ‘My intercession will be for those of my nation who committed major sins.’ In response to the Prophet’s intercession, God will forgive many Muslims, and they will come out of hell and enter paradise: ‘Some people will be taken out of the Fire through intercession of Muhammad, they will enter Paradise and will be called al-jahannamiyyin (the people of Hell).

            From the perspective of salvation it is interesting to note that Allah forgives whom He pleases, and punishes whom he pleases (Surah 2:284; 3:129; 5:18; 40; 48:14). “Salvation is always a divine prerogative and favor, even when granted to believers; although they may have followed the teaching of Islam perfectly, they will have done nothing more than carry out their duties to their Creator.”22

            If a Muslim’s evil deeds outnumber his good works, Allah in His sovereign mercy will forgive His people’s evil deeds either directly or in response to the Prophet’s intercession. The forgiven Muslims are taken into Paradise immediately, or they will have to atone for their sins in hell, and then enter Paradise. Unbelievers will gain eternal hellfire. Norman Giesler and Abdul Saleeb explain the sovereignty of Allah’s judgment as follows: 23

God’s grace in saving the sinner on the day of judgment is seen in the fact that he multiplies the good deeds of the person. The reward for a good deed is ten times more than it should be while punishment for an evil deed is only in equal proportion. The evil of the believer is even changed into good (4:40; 6:160; 25:70). According to one tradition, Muhammad insisted that “without the mercy of God no one can attain salvation by virtue of his action.” His companions asked, “Not even you, O the messenger of God?” He replied, “Not even I. God will, however cover me with mercy.” God’s mercy is also shown in the belief that after certain period of time God himself will bring out a large number of the damned from hell, not because of their own merit but to demonstrate his compassion on his creatures.

ASSURANCE OF SALVATION

            Despite the teaching of forgiveness of sins, it does seem that the Quran does not offer a convincing, unshakeable assurance of salvation to its believers. Norman Giesler writes: 24

From the very beginning of Islam almost all Muslims have feared for their eternal destiny. Al-Ghazali informs us: Yet all the fathers used to refrain from giving a definite reply concerning belief, and were extremely careful not to commit themselves. In this connection Sufyan al-Thawri said, “He who says, ‘I am a believer in the sight of God,’ is a liar; and he who says ‘I am really a believer,’ is an innovator…’ To many Muslims the lack of assurance of salvation is not considered a weakness but a reality that can motivate continued obedience.

            Some Muslims also believe that the ultimate destiny of people is unknown and no one knows what his end will be. But whoever appears to be a kafir (one who denies) in the sense of major kufr (denial) is to be judged accordingly and treated as other kafirs are treated. The Prophet said: “A man may do the deeds of the people of Paradise as far as other people can see, but he is in fact one of the people of Hell. And a man may do the deeds of the people of Hell as far as people can see, but he is in fact one of the people of Paradise.”25

            An exception to this lack of assurance is when a Muslim who fights in a Jihad (holy war) gains a direct access to heaven, for the Quran declares such admissions as the best form of rewards (Surah 3:195; cf. 2:25; 3:157-158; 4:57; 95-96; 22:58-59).

REVELATION IN CHRISTIANITY

            Islam accepts the Quran and Hadith as the primary sources of divine revelation, whereas Christianity considers the Bible as the sole source of divine revelation. In order to have a common thread running through this document, this section will also deal with sin, salvation, and the assurance of salvation from the Biblical standpoint. However, dealing with sin and salvation without any mention of the Lord Jesus Christ, the central figure of Christianity and the Savior of mankind will portray this work in poor light.

SIN

            Sin is lawlessness, says the Bible (1 John 3:4 [NIV]). Sin is a failure to measure up to the divine standard. The Bible also teaches that to sin is to fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). Man is to do everything to glorify God, but when he fails in this endless endeavor, he sins (1 Cor. 10:31). When a man fails to honor God in all that he does, he sins against God. The definition of sin from the Biblical perspective is always in relation to God and His moral laws. Wayne Grudem defines sin as, “failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature.”26 He focuses on man’s moral nature while defining sin, since the Bible says, “like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath” (Eph. 2:3). Man violates God and His laws through his act and attitude because his very nature is corrupted by sin. This is precisely why the Bible says, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me” (Ps. 51:5).

ORIGIN OF SIN

            The Bible records that the serpent that deceived Adam and Eve is none other than Satan himself, “…the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray” (Rev. 12:9). This leads us to conclude that sin was present in the angelic realm even before it entered into the world. “Sin first found expression in the angelic world. Lucifer sinned first. His sin was pride, a desire to be like God. When he sinned, many angels, who also were created holy, joined Lucifer in sin. They followed in his rebellion against God. Sin entered the universe. God’s plan allowed for its entrance through free will.”27 In this context, the Bible reveals that all of God’s creation was good, this included Adam and Eve (Gen. 1:26-31). In other words, Adam and Eve were not created sinful but became sinful when they succumbed to Satan’s temptation (cf. Gen. 3).

CORRUPTION OF NATURE AND TRANSMISSION OF SIN

            Though made in the likeness of God, Adam and Eve were the first violators of God’s command. Because of this violation, the likeness of God in man was corrupted. This corruption was and is continuously transmitted into the following generations. The Bible records that, “when Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth” (Gen. 5:3). Though made in God’s likeness, because of his sin against God, Adam procreated Seth in his own likeness – an assertion to the corruption of human nature and transmission of that very corruption into the following generations. Thus man is inherently sinful. He is sinful at the time of his creation in his mother’s womb.

CONSEQUENCE OF SIN

            In God, there is no sin. HE is a holy God. Thus sin in mankind demands God’s wrath (Eph. 2:3). As a result of their disobedience (sin) against God, Adam and Eve experienced death. Hence death was the consequence of sin (Gen. 2:17; Rom. 6:23).

            We understand from the Bible that Adam and Eve died a spiritual, physical, and eternal death. Adam and Eve hid from God the moment they sinned against him (Gen. 3:8). Thus spiritual death was experienced immediately upon sinning, which resulted in a separation from God. As a result, they were forbidden to eat of the tree of life (Gen. 3:22). This was the first form of death experienced by Adam and Eve. The second form of death which they experienced was a physical death (Gen. 5:5). The third form of death was the eternal death, which is the final result of the spiritual death – eternal separation of man from God. In other words, a man by birth is sinful and is destined to go to hell to suffer eternal separation from God, if he refuses to accept the new life given to him by God (John 3:36).

DIVINE PLAN TO DEFEAT SIN

            Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden by God when they sinned against him. In the process, they lost the opportunity to eat of the tree of life to live forever. The almighty and the omniscient God of the Bible knew that his creation can do nothing to gain their status of regaining their fellowship and likeness of him who created them. Having allowed the existence and increase of sin, God in his foreknowledge possessed the plan to defeat sin, which was even revealed during the course of his curse on Satan (Gen. 3:15b). In this cosmic plan, God through the second person of the blessed trinity - the Lord Jesus Christ, revealed a divine deliverance for mankind from the clutches of sin and death. “The truth is that we are all sinners before the holy God who created us. And only that God can rescue us from the futility of life without Christ. Our Savior is the Lord Himself!”28

THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD: THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

            Sin brought about a chasm (separation) between the holy God and a sinful man. Hence there was a necessity to restore the fellowship. Jesus Christ was God’s plan to restore the lost fellowship, so to enable man to taste life with God forever. Christ is the Savior who came to seek and save the lost mankind (Luke 19:10). “His own life on this sin-cursed planet was sinless. The holy life he lived relates to his substitutionary death,” says Robert Lightner. 29 The Bible teaches us that Christ is the atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 2:2), and that Christ’s sacrifice is a onetime sacrifice that takes away the sins of the world once and for all (cf. Heb. 10). Only an eternal and a sinless God can sacrifice himself, once and for all, to deliver man of his past, present, and the future sins. One of the most important teachings of the Bible is that Christ is the only way to the Father (John 14:6). In other words, one can only experience eternal life by believing in Christ.

PREEXISTENCE, ABSOLUTE DEITY AND PERFECT HUMANITY

            Robert Lightner writes, “Jesus Christ is the only person who ever lived before He was conceived. This is true because He is the God-man. In Him absolute deity (eternal) and perfect humanity (incarnational) were united in one divine person forever.”30 Wayne Grudem states that Christ was fully human to effect the representative obedience (Rom. 5:18-19), and to offer himself as a substitutionary sacrifice (Heb. 2:16-17). Although the word ‘incarnation’ is not mentioned in the Scriptures, the church used this term to refer to the fact the Christ was God in human flesh. The Bible affirms the fact that Christ lived a sinless life (John 8:46; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; 1 Pet. 1:19).

            The Scripture also extensively affirms the absolute deity of Christ (John 1:1, 1:18, 20:28; Rom. 9:5; Titus 2:13; Heb. 1:8) as the eternal second person of the blessed Trinity, one equal to God the Father in all his divine attributes. Jesus Christ’s deity was absolutely mandatory for the following reasons described by Wayne Grudem: 31

(1) only someone who is infinite God could bear the full penalty for all the sins of all those who would believe in him – any finite creature would have been incapable of bearing that penalty; (2) salvation is from the Lord (Jonah 2:9 NASB), and the whole message of the Scripture is designed to show that no human being, no creature, could ever save man-only God himself; and (3) only someone who was truly and fully God could be the one mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5), both to bring us back to God and also to reveal God most fully to us (John 14:9).

THE PROPHET, PRIEST AND KING

            The Bible also reveals Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King, which is described in the words of Robert Lightner as: 32

The fulfillment of God’s ministry of reconciliation and communion with man is embodied in Jesus Christ. As our prophet He secures our knowledge of God and the future. As our priest He accomplishes atonement for our sin and reconciliation to God. As our King we look forward to the time when the world will submit to Him, when “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth” (Phil. 2:10).”

            This God-man Christ, who is the Prophet, Priest, and King of all mankind died an onetime sacrificial death for all the sins of mankind – past, present and the future. The Bible reveals that Christ not only died, but God raised him from death (Acts 2:24; Rom. 6:9) and seated him at his right hand (Eph. 1:20), and he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead (2 Tim. 4:1; Heb. 9:28).

SALVATION

            In a Christian setting, salvation refers to God’s preoccupation with the eternal spiritual welfare of mankind. God saves a totally depraved man, who through God’s enabling presence believes in the Lord Jesus Christ. God supernaturally transforms the believer through the forgiveness of sins and restores the believer to favor with him.

SALVATION IS FROM GOD

            The Bible declares that salvation is from the Lord (Jon. 2:9; Acts 4:12). In other words, God had to make the first move to save mankind from the clutches of sin and death, “Guilty sinners dead in trespasses and sin and without any merit before God will not and cannot initiate contact with God. God must make the first move if ever He and wayward sinners are to be reunited. He has initiated a plan to bring sinners back to Himself.”33 Only the righteous Christ can satisfy and fulfill every demand of God’s offended holiness and righteousness.

SALVATION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH

            The Bible emphatically asserts that salvation is only by the grace of God through a believer’s faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, “for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith— and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). This statement totally destroys any possibility of including works of man as a means to attain salvation.

            “Salvation consists of three steps: effectual calling, conversion, and regeneration. Through the Holy Spirit, God calls the unbeliever to salvation. The human response to that call involves turning from sin to faith in Christ. Faith also includes belief. God responds by regenerating the person to new life in Christ.”34 Man’s response to God’s calling is also an enablement of God. Salvation is from the Lord. Man, possessing the free will offered by God, freely consents or freely rejects the offer of salvation from God.

CHRISTIAN LIFE: CONTINUING TRANSFORMATION

            “After the miraculous work of salvation, God continues the transforming process to make the believer into the image of Christ. Sanctification is the process of being set apart from sin toward becoming holy and toward the goal of leading a sinless life. While this is not realized in this life, it is the goal.”35 Millard Erickson adds that “in addition, the Lord’s Prayer implies that until the Kingdom of God comes completely on earth, it will be necessary to pray, “Forgive us our sins.” Our conclusion is that while complete freedom from and victory over sin are the standard to be aimed at and are theoretically possible, it is doubtful whether any believer will attain this goal within this life.”36

            Millard Erickson concludes that, “the Christian life, as we have seen, is not a static matter in which one is saved and then merely reposes in that knowledge. It is a process of growth and progress, lived not in the Christian’s own strength, but in the power and by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And it is a process of challenge and satisfaction.”37 This then is the glorious Christian life, led by the power of the Holy Sprit, the third person of the blessed Trinity. The Holy Spirit empowers every Christian to win valuable victories over sin and evil in this world. The God of the Bible encourages every believer that he would never leave them nor forsake them (Deut. 31:6,8; Heb. 13:5).

            The salvation of a Christian is completed by God enabling the believer to remain strong in his faith through the rest of his life. The believer grows in God because of God’s powerful presence in his life. So a believer becomes more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus he will fulfill God’s will and purpose for his life.

ASSURANCE OF SALVATION

            A believer in the Lord Jesus Christ can rest secure in the assurance that his salvation is permanent; nothing can separate him from the love of God that is in Christ (Rom. 8: 38-39). A believer rejoices in the prospect of his eternal life. This assurance of salvation does not encourage him to live a life as he pleases. Having been converted and regenerated the believer’s life produces fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5: 22-23) because of the Holy Spirit’s presence in his life. The Spirit’s work in a believer’s life results in conviction on biblical grounds that God will ensure that nothing will separate a believer from God’s love.

GLORIFICATION OF A CHRISTIAN

            The final stage of a Christian’s salvation is the glorification of the believer. Glorification “involves the perfecting of the spiritual nature of the individual believer, which takes place at death, when the Christian passes into the presence of the Lord. It also involves the perfecting of the bodies of all believers, which will occur at the time of the resurrection in connection with the second coming of Christ,”38

DAY OF JUDGMENT

            Having said these, we should recall the fact of the Bible’s teaching that all those who believe in Christ will be with God forever (Rom. 8:1). The unbelievers who reject Christ will be subjected to eternal punishment (Rom. 2:5-7; Rev. 11:18, 20:12-15) on the day of judgment when Christ will judge the living and the dead (Acts 10:42; 2 Tim. 4:1).

Endnotes:
1Norman L. Giesler, and Abdul Saleeb, Answering Islam, (Michigan: Baker Books, 2002), 46.

2S.M. Zwemer, The Moslem Doctrine of God, (Boston: American Tract Society, 1905), 50.

3Badru D. Kateregga, and David W. Shenk, A Muslim and a Christian Dialogue, (Scottdale: Herald Press, 1997), 45.

4Mohammed Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran, (Kuwait: Dar al-Islamiyya), 82.

5Badru D. Kateregga, and David W. Shenk, A Muslim and a Christian Dialogue, (Scottdale: Herald Press, 1997), 45.

6S.M. Zwemer, The Moslem Doctrine of God, (Boston: American Tract Society, 1905), 53.

7Norman L. Giesler, and Abdul Saleeb, Answering Islam, (Michigan: Baker Books, 2002), 43.

8Chawkat Moucarry, Faith to Faith, (Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 2001), 95-96.

9Badru D. Kateregga, and David W. Shenk, A Muslim and a Christian Dialogue, (Scottdale: Herald Press, 1997), 45.

10S.M. Zwemer, The Moslem Doctrine of God, (Boston: American Tract Society, 1905), 51.

11Ibid., 51.

12Mohammed Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran, (Kuwait: Dar al-Islamiyya), 84.

13‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abd al-Hamid al-Athari, Islamic Beliefs, (Riyadh: International Islamic Publishing House, 2005), 137.

14S.M. Zwemer, The Moslem Doctrine of God, (Boston: American Tract Society, 1905), 51.

15Chawkat Moucarry, Faith to Faith, (Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 2001), 99.

16Norman L. Giesler, and Abdul Saleeb, Answering Islam, (Michigan: Baker Books, 2002), 121.

17Chawkat Moucarry, Faith to Faith, (Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 2001), 99.

18Norman L. Giesler, and Abdul Saleeb, Answering Islam, (Michigan: Baker Books, 2002), 124.

19Chawkat Moucarry, Faith to Faith, (Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 2001), 102.

20Norman L. Giesler, and Abdul Saleeb, Answering Islam, (Michigan: Baker Books, 2002), 126.

21Ibid., 103.

22Ibid., 104.

23Ibid., 127-128.

24Ibid.

25‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abdul-Hamid al-Athari, Islamic Beliefs, (Riyadh: International Islamic Publishing House, 2005), 148-149.

26Wayne Grudem, Bible Doctrine, (Michigan: Zondervan, 1999), 210.

27Robert P. Lightner, Sin, The Savior, and Salvation, (Michigan: Kregel Publications, 1991), 25.

28Ibid., 44.

29Ibid., 49.

30Ibid., 49-50.

31Wayne Grudem, Bible Doctrine (Michigan: Zondervan, 1999), 241.

32Robert P. Lightner, Sin, The Savior, and Salvation, (Michigan: Kregel Publications, 1991), 84-85.

33Ibid., 140.

34Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology, (Michigan: Baker Academic, 1998), 941.

35Ibid., 979.

36Ibid., 986.

37Ibid., 995.

38Ibid., 1008.

Saturday, April 25, 2020

Prayers In The Name Of Jesus Still Works! (Modern Miracles)


            Could we still pray for miracles?1 Yes, most certainly.

            God continues to be active. Miracles do occur.

            Christian apologist Sean McDowell mentions two recent2 instances of the miraculous. The first instance, published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, was that of a 23-year old man who was miraculously healed from gastroparesis – a condition he was suffering for 16 years. Sean writes: [Emphasis Mine]3

Last week as I was teaching on the topic of miracles in my Resurrection class at Biola University, one of my students shared a remarkable instance of a miracle story from a peer-reviewed medical journal. He is working on a documentary of modern miracles and also spear-heading a movement to document recent miracle claims in peer-reviewed journals.
The journal article is available online with public access, so you can check out the details for yourself. Essentially, the case is about a 23-year old white male who experienced intermittent cramping and projectile vomiting at one week of age. He was soon was diagnosed with gastroparesis (a chronic, lifelong condition that is known to significantly impact the quality and length of life).
Maximal medical treatment was administered, but ineffective. For the next sixteen years, his symptoms remained severe and refractory and he was dependent on a feeding tube.
Intercessory Prayer
Yet in November 2011, he experienced “proximal intercessory prayer” (PIP) from an evangelist who reported his own story of having his life spared when his intestines were severed in a serious car accident. With the permission of the family, the evangelist prayed in the name of Jesus for the healing of the boy.
Halfway through the prayer, the boy described experiencing a shock throughout his body. That night after the prayer, the boy ate a meal for the first time without any complications. According to the article, this kind of sudden, lasting recovery from gastroparesis is unique in the scholarly literature. The journal authors write:
“For 16 years the patient was totally dependent on j-tube feedings and could not tolerate any form of oral feeding. After receiving PIP, his intolerance to oral feedings was completely resolved. He was able to tolerate oral feedings and was completely taken off of the j-tube feedings one month after the PIP experience” (p. 291).

            Regarding the prayer in the name of the Lord Jesus - a means to the miraculous healing, the journal authors write:4

This case report 15 examines proximal intercessory prayer (PIP) as an intervention to resolve symptoms related to gastroparesis when maximal medical management was administered but not effective. PIP, as described by Brown and colleagues16 refers to direct-contact prayer typically less than 15 min, frequently involving touch, by placing hands on the recipient and sometimes embracing them in a hug, keeping the intercessor’s eyes open to observe results. The prayer is typically done in “soft tones”. The intercessor may “petition God to heal, invite the Holy Spirit’s anointing, and/or command the healing and departure of any evil spirits in Jesus’ name.”16

            The journal article also mentions the testimony of the person who was miraculously healed: [Emphasis Mine]5

“Living with feeding tubes was a struggle, to say the least. Growing up being an active child, it was difficult to get the hydration and nutrition necessary with a drip feeding process. During the prayer, I felt an electric shock that started from my right shoulder traveling down through my stomach. That was the moment that I knew I had been touched by the holy spirit. Since I have been healed of my illness, I have had more energy than ever before, and have thoroughly enjoyed the new adventure of trying all different types of foods. I have entered into the medical field in search to help the sick and needy, and to give back the great care I received as a patient.”

            The second instance of the modern miraculous mentioned by Sean is that of a blind woman receiving sight:6

Last summer a student of mine in the Talbot M.A. Apologetics program sent me a remarkable case of a modern miracle that was peer-reviewed in a medical journal. Amazingly, he just sent me another modern miracle case from Explore: The Journal of Science & Healing.
This case is about a young woman who was legally blind, but after receiving prayer, had her vision restored immediately and permanently. You can read the journal article directly, but here are the relevant details.
Receiving Sight after 12 years
The young woman was diagnosed with Juvenile Macular Degeneration (JMD) and lost her vision over three months in 1959 when she was eighteen years old. Initial reports show that her vision was 7/200 in each eye.
In 1972, after being legally blind for over a dozen years, she received proximal intercessory prayer (PIP) from her husband, which is a kind of direct contact, petitionary prayer that often lasts over fifteen minutes. They went to bed at midnight, which was later than normal for them, and he read her two Bible verses and then began to pray. Although he had never heard of a miraculous present-day healing, and he did not speak in tongues, fast or perform other common spiritual practices associated with Pentecostal or Charismatic circles, he began to pray boldly for her healing.
According to the authors of the article, “At the close of the prayer, his wife opened her eyes and saw her husband kneeling in front of her, which was her first clear visual perception after almost 13 years of blindness.”
In 1974, her visual acuity was 20/100 without correction, and then in 2001, she vision had improved to 20/40 in each eye. Except for common age-related problems, her sight has remained intact for the past 47 years.

            Find below an excerpt from the journal article about the healing prayer, which the husband prayed over his blind wife:7

When the couple went to bed later than normal (after midnight), her husband performed a hurried spiritual devotional practice (reading two Bible verses) and got on his knees to pray. She describes that they both began to cry as he began to pray, with a hand on her shoulder while she laid on the bed, and with great feeling and boldness he prayed: “Oh, God! You can restore […] eyesight tonight, Lord. I know You can do it! And I pray You will do it tonight.” At the close of the prayer, his wife opened her eyes and saw her husband kneeling in front of her, which was her first clear visual perception after almost 13 years of blindness.
The couple were not cessationists (i.e., believing that spiritual gifts such as glossolalia, healing, and prophecy are not for the present age), but they had never heard of anyone receiving a miraculous healing in the present day. The patient reported, “The only healings we knew about were in the Bible”. She indicated that her husband had never before prayed for someone who subsequently experienced a remarkable recovery. Their only prior experience with prayer for healing seems to be when the patient and her husband had briefly visited the meeting of a well-known healing evangelist, but they left before the time in the meeting when the healing practices began. The patient and her husband were involved with a Baptist church at the time that did not practice the laying on of hands while praying for the sick. They also did not practice glossolalia, nor fasting, which are more commonly associate with Pentecostal or Charismatic sects that believe miraculous healings happen in the present age as opposed to only in the ancient world.

            Here’s the testimony of the woman who was healed of her blindness: [Emphasis Mine]8

“What people need to understand is ‘I was blind’, totally blind and attended the School for the Blind. I read Braille and walked with a white cane. Never had I seen my husband or daughters [sic] face. I was blind when my husband prayed for me- then just like that- in a moment, after years of darkness I could see perfectly! It was miraculous! My daughter's picture was on the dresser. I could see what my little girl and husband looked like, I could see the floor, the steps. Within seconds, my life had drastically changed. I could see, I could see!”

            Please observe that these are not random reports of the miraculous without credibility. These instances of the miraculous are credible because they have been published in peer-reviewed medical journals. So miracles happen in our time and age.

            As prayerful Christians, let us continue praying in Jesus’ name for the miraculous healing of our relatives and friends. If God so wills, HE will heal. Meanwhile, let us keep praying without giving up (cf. Luke 18:1-8).   

Endnotes:

1Dr. William Lane Craig defines a miracle as, “So a miracle, I think, properly defined, is an event which the natural causes at a time and place cannot produce at that time and place. Or, more succinctly, a miracle is a naturally impossible event – an event which the natural causes at a certain time and place cannot bring about. It is beyond the productive capacity of nature…” (https://www.reasonablefaith.org/media/reasonable-faith-podcast/when-is-It-rational-to-believe-in-miracles/)

2The term recent refers to the date in which the healing was published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

3https://seanmcdowell.org/blog/a-remarkable-case-of-a-peer-reviewed-modern-miracle

4https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229918313116

5Ibid.

6https://seanmcdowell.org/blog/the-blind-receive-sight-a-peer-reviewed-modern-miracle

7https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550830720300926?fbclid=IwAR0tgsnm-fRTDImK5eGZSndVW1bNzfijdyIiqF9pkZo07ywT3wHyFWfkr-Y

8Ibid.

Websites were last accessed on 25th April 2020.