Hi Ali [and Ahmed, and Ibrahim, and Maher, and Mohammed, etc.],
I'm glad we have the kind of relationship in which we can discuss these matters openly and honestly. Even though you told me you have limited time for this, I felt it was important to write it, that I was directed by God to do it. It's personal. As I said, I prefer short emails. But some things deserve more attention, and this is one of them. This is too important to gloss over in a paragraph. If nothing else, please read it all out of respect for God...and for me. Carefully (don't skim it). The point is love. ...First God's love, then mine. At the very end there's a P.S. So when you have read everything and get to that, you will know my heart for you. Why else would I spend my time writing such an email?
You're probably familiar with the Ten Commandments in the Bible, right? I think you have a moral code similar in Islam. They appear in the Hebrew book of Exodus, chapter 20, then again in chapter 34. Then parts of it are woven throughout the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures. The Ten Commandments, and things like them, have been esteemed as the moral foundation of civilizations for centuries. I want to look at them with you and examine our own hearts and record of sin. We can also generalize quite a bit about all people.
If you are online right now you can click on this link to go directly to Exodus 20 in the online Bible, vv. 1-17: http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Exodus+20. But here is part of the text that we can look at. I picked just the short verses because they take up less space. These words were spoken directly by God. The numbers in red represent the ones which I am guilty of breaking, with my estimated of number of times.
The 10 Commandments
3 “You shall have no other gods before me. (commandment #1) 1000 times
7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. (#3) 5,000 times
12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. (#5) 10,000 times
13 “You shall not murder. (#6) 0 (unless there is a stricter definition of murder than mine)*
14 “You shall not commit adultery. (#7) 0 (unless there is a stricter definition than mine)*
15 “You shall not steal. (#8) 100-200 (unless there is a stricter definition than mine)*
16 “You shall not bear false witness [lie] against your neighbor. (#9) 10,000 times
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.” (#10) 10,000 times
*Note: Jesus actually did give a stricter definition of these laws in his well-known sermon called "The Sermon on the Mount". So, for example, misplaced anger, bitterness and hatred can qualify as murder. Lust and other forms of sexual desire can qualify as adultery. Consequently, even though I have not killed anybody bodily or had an extra-marital affair, I know that I am guilty of these things according to the teachings of Jesus. This can be found here: http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Matt+5%3A21-30
The longer ones that I left out in vv. 4-6 and 8-11 are related to images and the Jewish sabbath. These commandments are actually laws given to humanity by God. I know we agree that God's laws are good for mankind. As you read through them examine your heart and ask yourself which of them you have broken. How many times in your life have you broken them? Again, I put my estimated personal score in red. Of course I don't know how many times I have actually broken them, I'm just guessing. But it's a lot.
Because Muslims and Christians largely share these moral standards we can analyze them together. We both agree that God has given us these standards and He expects to abide by them. and that there are consequences for breaking them. Further, I think we agree that all people (or 99% of them) fail to abide by at least some of these standards every day all the time (I would say 100%, but I don't think you would). My belief is that all people have broken at least 7 of them, and they have done so often. It's very likely that many people break one or more of these every day. What's more, some of the standards (such as #1, #5 and #10) can be more of an ongoing condition or a lifestyle, so it's possible for a person to live in perpetual transgression of them, i.e. they are in a permanent "flight pattern" of defiance toward their parents because of some issue and dishonor them every day (#5).
Commandment 1
Let's go further now to examine one or two of the 10 commandments specifically. The first one says “You shall have no other gods before me." This one is first for a good reason, as it is the foundation for all the rest. Jesus himself confirmed this as the first and greatest commandment--not only that God is One but also that He must be a person's only object of worship. I suspect that you agree with this. Now, I've never worshipped any other god that I was aware of, even before I became a Christian and I didn't believe in any gods at all. So why do I believe I was guilty of breaking this law? The essence of this law is that God must be first and only in a person's life. It means that a person must worship nothing else at all. Moreover, it implies that a person must have no other priorities above God, no loves above God, no values above God, no pleasures above God, no people above God, no desires above God, etc. So whatever we prioritize or love or value or enjoy or desire above God becomes our "god" or our idol. It displaces the position that only God should have in our heart. If a person displaces God (consciously or unconsciously) this it makes him/her guilty of breaking this law, the most important of all laws! And it makes him a sinner in the worst way.
This is true evil. And that makes him supremely guilty in the eyes of God. Speaking for myself, I lived my whole life before age 16 in this state of idolatry and evil. It made me a rebel against God. How many sins is that worth? Certainly more than 1,000. Even after I trusted Jesus to rescue me from that state, I know that I have committed this sin many more times.
It's hard to put God first. We are weak, but not only that, we are rebels against God at heart. Most people (if not all) live their lives in direct defiance of God's commands, consciously of unconsciously. I also believe that everyone has lived at least part of their lives in this state, and many never change. Why?...Because they don't want to. Even religious people can be guilty of that because their religion is merely a pretense. It's fake! Only the power of God can deliver people from this state. But the point is, millions of people are living their lives in perpetual
transgression of this law. That is evil worthy of eternal hell.
But God IS merciful. Though He will never just excuse them, He has made a way of rescue and justification through Jesus. This was the supreme act of MERCY and LOVE. Without the atonement of Jesus on the cross a man's guilt and debt to God would be infinite, deserving of eternal hell. But Jesus satisfied God's justice by willingly giving his life.
Evil is real. (It is not just the absence of good.)
We can agree on many things here. I'm sure we agree that our failure to abide by these (and others) defines what sin is. Breaking God's laws is SIN. And all sin is EVIL. This may not be the Islamic understanding but it is the biblical understanding, and the way that Jesus understood things.) Therefore, the reason why there is evil in the world is because there is sin. Sin happens when people break God's laws, and that is a very serious issue. It is not merely the absence of good; it is willful deeds and words that hurt people and offend God. Further, according to Christian theology, breaking God's laws produces evil. Why do people break laws that they know are good for them? Either they don't know they're good for them, or they know it and they don't
care, or both. I assert that most people are in the second category. These laws are self-evident. Everybody knows them, and yet they break them anyway. They even take pleasure in them! Some people even know they will go to hell, and they break them anyway.
This is Evil!
This is rebellion against God and His laws, and rebellion against His laws is rebellion against
God. To say that people don't obey them because they are weak or ignorant is simply to admit that there is something fundamentally wrong with us--moral weakness and ignorance to say the least. I admit that I am morally weak and ignorant of many things. But that does not absolve or excuse me. "Ignorance of the law is no excuse", the saying goes. Further, I have not been so ignorant as to be innocent. God's moral laws are written in our consciences. That's why there is no innocence.
A number of things result from breaking God's laws: guilt, shame, pain, fear, estrangement from God and others; hardness of heart, more frequent and more powerful desires for sin, problems of all kinds due to the natural consequences of sinful deeds, death, judgment and hell.
God is Merciful (but not only that).
Yes, there is mercy, and we agree on that. But only on God's terms. I believe that God is merciful. He should have killed me 1000 different times, but He let me live. I have grieved and offended God at least that many times, and He should have destroyed me as a rebel against Him. But He didn't. Not only did He let me live, he has also allowed me to experience prosperity and many pleasures in this world. I do not deserve any of these good things, but still He provides them. Many of His good gifts and pleasures are available to all, even atheists! And do you know why? Because He is merciful...and generous. Yes! He was giving me time. In my case, He allowed me to live and keep sinning and hurting people to get my way, and pursuing pleasures because, the Bible says, He is merciful and slow to anger. He knew that one day I would believe and repent, come to Him on His terms, and put my trust in His one and only means of forgiveness: Jesus. Jesus is God's Mercy personified. He says, "If you want to come to Me, you must come through Jesus."
I am guilty (and so are you).
What I know for sure is that I am guilty, very guilty. Even after I knew the laws of God I still broke them. I knew full well that I should not lie, and that I should not dishonor may parents. But I did them both, over and over and over again. I beat people up, and stole things, I lied constantly, etc, etc. In short, I was a slave to my sins and my sinfulness. People told me they were sins but I did not care. I could not stop sinning because I did not want to stop. Then, when I wanted to stop, it was super hard. I kept giving in to the same lusts and patterns of behaving and thinking that made me miserable and angered God.
Even religious people can be guilty of that because their religion is merely a pretense. It's fake! Only the power of God can deliver people from this state. But the point is, millions of people are living their lives in perpetual transgression of this law. That is evil worthy of eternal hell. But God IS merciful. Though He will never just excuse them, He has provided a way of rescue and justification through Jesus. This was the supreme act of MERCY and LOVE. Without the atonement of Jesus on the cross a man's guilt and debt to God would be infinite, deserving of eternal hell. But Jesus satisfied God's justice by willingly giving his life. It was the ultimate act of love. "Greater love has no man than this"...he said. (Injeel, John 15:13) .
Jesus conquered Death.
Add to this that the glorious reality that Jesus did not stay dead. Even though he allowed his own death, part of the reason was to demonstrate his invincibility. The Injeel, in all four historical accounts and all the other writings state plainly that Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to over 500 people in his physical body. By this he made a loud declaration to the world that he alone can cheat Death, and he did so by his own will saying, "I have authority to lay it down and I have authority to take it up again." Jesus in the Injeel, Gospel according to John 10:17-18. http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=John+10%3A17-18 Therefore Jesus, though he gave his life, did so for a far greater conquest! And we must believe this! For it is by faith in his death and his resurrection that we too can experience victory death and hell. To read these accounts of the Resurrection in the Injeel you can click on these links, and even compare them. They all attest to this greatest event of all time:
- Injeel, Matthew: http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Matthew+28
- Injeel, Mark: http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mark+16
- Injeel, Luke: http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+24
- Injeel, John: http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=John+20
As you can see by my estimated numbers, I believe that I have broken at least 6 out of the 8 that are listed. And not just once. I know, better than anyone else knows, that I have broken them thousands of times, and probably more. (What about you?) I suppose I've broken some of them by accident on occasion, but the vast majority of the time I have broken them deliberately, on purpose. Again, that makes me a lawbreaker and guilty of offending a Holy and Righteous God. This guilt is the problem. So what is the solution? Will God automatically excuse or forgive me, even if I do not repent? No. He is not that merciful.
People who break God's laws and do not repent do not get forgiven, and I think we agree on that. If He did, that would be very merciful, but it would not be righteous or just. And God is all of these. Will God forgive me if I repent? Muslims tell me that He will, but in the Bible God says NO. He does not just excuse guilt. His mercy has conditions and demands a means of justice.
Here is one of the places that He says that in the Hebrew Scriptures of the Bible: Nahum 1:2-3
"The Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries
and keeps wrath for his enemies. The Lord
is slow to anger and great in power, and
the Lord will by no means clear the guilty."
http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Nahum
and keeps wrath for his enemies. The Lord
is slow to anger and great in power, and
the Lord will by no means clear the guilty."
http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Nahum
So according to the Prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures of the Holy Bible, God's forgiveness is not cheap and easy. These very Scriptures tell us that there must always be a punishment for the guilt of lawbreaking. God's Justice must be satisfied in addition to repentance. Repentance alone can never be sufficient; it's not sufficient in the court of law, nor in God's court of justice. In the Hebrew Scriptures of the Bible this was done by sacrificing animals. In the time of Jesus it was done by the voluntary death of Christ on the cross. So faith in God should lead to an awareness of serious guilt before God, and repentance, and that should lead to accepting that God's means of forgiveness was the death of Jesus. And that should lead to trusting in God through Jesus
who died and rose again from the dead.
Commandment #9
Let's briefly look at one more. This one prohibits lying. I'm sure you agree that it's a good law: “You shall not bear false witness [lie] against your neighbor." Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong! Lying is an epidemic in our corrupt world. Our lives and cultures are saturated with it. From a very early age children learn to lie to their parents (thus breaking the 5th commandment too), their siblings, their friends, etc. Children have to be taught not to lie, and for parents that is a very strenuous endeavor. Of course, if parents make a practice of lying then
their children may never learn the evil and destructiveness of it. Rather, they will learn that lying is necessary and a very convenient way to get what they want. They may even believe that lying is normal and good! As a child and a teenager I learned all these things...and I lied a lot.
Societies experience enormous social problems because people lie so much, and there are all sorts of laws attempting to control lying. People go to prison because of lying, and keep lying after they get out. They lie to satisfy their sinful desires, and they lie to cover up their lies. I'm sure you have experienced this. If you are like me, you have lied many time and have been lied to. You know how that feels. We know that many politicians lie to make their unethical "deals" and deceive their constituents about them. Average people lie to preserve their sinful lifestyles and to protect their "good" reputations. Hypocrisy is a form of lying, as is corruption.
Adultery is still another form of lying, especially when the guilty party keeps his/her sin a secret. Many marriages are destroyed because of this and other forms of lying. And people like to lie. This is not mere ignorance or weakness. Here are two links on God's standards of truthfulness and the evil of lying:
• http://www.apostolic.edu/biblestudy/files/9th-com.htm
• http://www.pbministries.org/books/pink/Commandments/command_09.htm
I will try not belabor this point much more. The most important point is that people to lie to God. And all lies are lies against the Almighty One. Of course, God knows everything, so He easily sees through every lie. But this does not deter many people from grieving and offending Him in this way. This is evil. This also makes them rebels against God, guilty of the most heinous of crimes against God and humanity. Most of us have a special category for "white lies" but they are deceitful nonetheless. But even without those we know that we are both the
perpetrators and the victims of many lies. God hates lying.
Sin = Death
God's penalty for lying--and for all our collective sins--is death. Even though this is hard to accept, the Bible says, "The wages of sin is death" (Injeel, Rom. 6:23). It also says that "We all have sinned and fall short of (disregard) the glory of God." (Injeel, Rom. 3:23). For lying and all our other transgressions we deserve to go to hell...forever. The last thing a perfectly Righteous and Holy God, who loves and demands Justice, would do is accept us into Heaven in this state (even though He is merciful). If He did it would infect Heaven with sin and evil, and fill His celestial dwelling place with evil and sinful people. Even you and me.
That's the bad news. (Is there good news?)
Yes. But since the bad new is very bad, the good news is exceptionally GOOD. God is Merciful. And He is also Loving. In fact, God is defined in the Bible as Love. It is precisely because God is loving that He is merciful--without sacrificing His righteousness and justice.
Here's the Good News.
Through Jesus, the Loving and Merciful Creator not only forgives but also justifies people who come to Him on His terms. Further, He reconciles to Himself people who previously lived as His enemies. Further still, though Jesus He offers perfect Peace. Jesus is not only God's Mercy, but also His Peace and Justification. There is no other way to be made right with the Holy God. Allow me to use the Injeel again to expound on this (Romans 5):
1 "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God...because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us... 6 "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rom+5
This may be a lot to absorb. But let me go a little further. The Injeel also says (Ephesians 2)
1 "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ...6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus..." http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Eph+2
Trust Jesus (stop trusting yourself).
What's the conclusion? People are in a desperate situation, no matter what religion they adhere to. And their attempts to do good works can never nullify all the sinful deeds they have done. Their record of broken laws is to long and deep, and their debt to God is too great. But in God's mercy and love He is made provision for you and me, and all the world. Jesus alone has done for us what we cannot possibly do for ourselves (it is otherwise hopeless). He alone can make you righteous before God and give you victory over your sin. It's not enough to say you believe in him...you must believe in his sacrifice, and TRUST him as Lord and Savior. If you do, you can have Peace with God and the assurance of eternal life. He alone can make you into the person He wants you to be, and perhaps you want to be also.
Very sincerely,
Scott
P.S. I know this was long, and I didn't mean to write so much. But I felt it was necessary to really explain the Christian (Jesus) perspective thoroughly. Even now I'm sure I've left some things unsaid or unclear, and many points deserve more attention. And even if everything is clear, I do not presume that you accept it all. You are a Muslim, so I know you have a different orientation. But at the very least, if you have carefully read all of this, you have learned something. And I know you believe that is good. So I invite you to respond to anything you wish by email. Better yet, we can meet together and talk. Talking is even better. Whenever you have time I am
available to discuss these things in-person. I care about you very much
