Having grown up in Saudi Arabia, I'm familiar with Muslim practices, but I've never had the opportunity to watch a prayer time or to ask questions of a Muslim cleric. It was interesting to hear him talk of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, obviously revering them as prophets of Allah, the Muslim god. It was amazing to hear how much of the biblical narrative and stories that Islam embraces as truth, like Adam and Eve, Noah and the ark, David and Goliath, Jesus' second coming, the existence of Satan, to name a few.
But what was even more interesting was to hear his explanation when asked about the significance of Jesus' death on the cross. He very confidently said that Muslims do not believe in the doctrine of original sin (that we have inherited a sin nature from our first father, Adam.) They are taught that God forgave Adam and Eve immediately afterward, so people are not inherently sinful. And the imam immediately dismissed the idea that Jesus died on the cross. They don't believe that he did. Interesting, indeed.
At one point, when asked about life after death, the imam talked about paradise and how a Muslim gets there. He recounted the works that a Muslim must do, the five pillars, but he made it clear that no matter of performance, ultimately it's up to Allah. There is no assurance of going to paradise, no matter how closely a person has followed the rules. Allah decides on the Day of Judgment. The imam then made the statement, "You call it grace; we call it mercy."
And that's when it hit me how obvious it is to us that we worship a completely different God. In Islam, Allah is considered holy and just and merciful. They have to work hard to be acceptable to him and then hope that Allah will accept their work. However, I know that the One True God of the Bible is holy and just and merciful, but He's also personal and loving and gracious, as evidenced by the life of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
My Savior willingly left heaven and entered history as a man, lived a perfect life, took the undeserved punishment on the cross to pay for my sin, and promises me abundant life here as I walk with Him and eternity with Him. My sin is no longer counted against me, my slate is clean, all because of Jesus. I do not have to work for it; I only need to receive it. I will not face the White Throne of Judgment because He is my Father, not my Judge. Praise God!
I've spent the past 24 hours considering my mosque experience in light of the Jesus I've read about and experienced in the past three months alone. Jesus is nothing like what the Muslims think He is. Even in this chapter, Jesus demonstrated His personal nature and His generous love and grace, constantly giving people what they didn't deserve.
Jesus lived and walked among the people, teaching them about their God and Father who loves them, despite frequent and fervent opposition to Him. He told them stories about the Kingdom of God and opened their eyes to the truth. (18:1-8, 9-14) He welcomed children. (18:15-17) He loved and spoke truth to people who were far from Him. (18:18-23) He healed a blind man for the glory of God. (18:42) Amazing.
But on the heels of my experience at the mosque, what stood out to me in the reading today is:
Jesus said, "Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who have it all to enter God's kingdom? I'd say it's easier to thread a camel through a needle's eye than get a rich person into God's kingdom."
"Then who has any chance at all?" the others asked.
"No chance at all," Jesus said, "if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it." (18:24-27)Thank You, Lord, that the gift of Your grace has nothing to do with my performance. I'm so grateful that I don't have to work for Your approval and acceptance; I only need to receive Your gift to me. Thank You that I can trust in the completeness of Your work on the cross. You've done for me what I am unable to accomplish on my own. (Ephesians 2:10) Thank You for giving me the faith to recognize and embrace You. I know that I don't deserve Your grace, Lord, but I'm oh-so-grateful today, especially on the heels of an up-close look at a man-made religion. Your way is so much better! I love you, Lord!
2 comments:
Cici, it's interesting in your timing with the mosque and what you learned through that experience.
I had a similar experience this week when we went to dinner with one of our friends, who is an Orthodox Jew (he fully practices the Sabbath, follows Kosher rules of food, etc.). This is the second time we have been able to have deep spiritual discussion about the differences between Judaism and Christianity.
When we asked him, "how do you know you whether you are saved or not when you die?" He responded that it is how closely you followed the Law, but even then, it is uncertain.
What a scary thought. What a heavy weight he must carry around. Knowing that he has to abide by the Law, dotting his "i"s and crossing his "t"s - and even then, his salvation is uncertain.
Praise God for a Savior who has fully paid the price. Even the disciples recognize the weight of salvation in the story of the rich man. "Who then can be saved?" "With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
Thank You Jesus, that You make it possible for us to be accepted into God's kingdom, to be heirs of such rich spiritual blessings and divine promises...both today and in the glorious kingdom to come!
Thanks for sharing Cici, i so desire to really learn more about what others believe. I just wonder since God is the one who truly gives us even our faith, where their faith comes from.
I can't get past how Jesus is just God. How my God is just so real and so kind. How there is no other like Him. My friend told me last week that she "just can't believe He is that good." so she can't trust in Him. I can't believe He is that good to us but it doesn't result in disbelief now or distrust. Instead in response just filled with awe and wonder. (Sometimes more than other times) I'm reminded this week that He is GOD. I am not. And instead of focusing on my performance and my many failures, if I focus on Him and run to Him, come back to the cross, I am truly renewed. I remember through the Spirit the spiritual blessings we can access and most importantly just remembering what He has done for me, remembering His love.
Just like in the parables we read today, I can't trust in myself. I can do nothing without God. Let alone work my way to earn salvation. Thankful today for His sovereignty, His almightiness, His power, His loving graciousness, His faithfulness and His personal care for me. My heart is hurting and my mind has been spinning in circles with worry about what will happen if my life plan doesn't work out- but I know He's tugging at my heart to surrender to Him over and over again- to let go so that I can experience His good hope-filled prosperous plan for me and allow Him/invite Him to just draw near to me and draw me near to Him.
Spirit, reign, and flood into my thirsty heart again. Come. Draw me near to You to sit at Your feet Give me faith to make my heart well and trust to follow You. Give me the faith like a child to see You. Humble me so that I would not have a heart/soul that is trying to exalt myself. Help me to give you my life, my worries, anxieties and fears so that You can take over. So that my life would bring glory to You. Make me more like Jesus. I love You, thanks for giving me faith, for being MY Lord, my sacrifice of greatest price. Every need- you satisfy with Your love. Remind me that You ALONE are more than enough for me. Be my everything.
Post a Comment