Salvation

In Acts 4, Peter and John were arrested and brought before the high priest and other leaders for preaching about Jesus and his resurrection after healing a man who had been lame since birth. Despite being threatened and ordered not to speak about Jesus, Peter boldly claimed, “It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed…Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:10;12).

Romans 10:9-10 says, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.” 

The Bible tells us that God desires that all men be saved (1 Timothy 2:4) and that salvation is a gift. We cannot earn it. (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is clear that salvation comes only through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Qur’an states, “And if Allah had willed, He could have made you [of] one religion, but He causes to stray whom He wills and guides whom He wills” (Sura 16:93).

Muslims do not believe Jesus died on the cross, so they do not believe in the resurrection. They believe Allah took Jesus to paradise. “Jesus son of Mary, Allah’s messenger’ they slew him not nor crucified him, but it appeared so unto them…But Allah took him up unto Himself” (Sura 4:157-158). The Islamic version of Jesus returns to the earth, but his purpose is to establish Islam as the only religion in the world. Many Muslims believe this means that Jesus will punish Christians and Jews for not accepting Muhammad as the prophet of Allah (Al-Bukhari Volume 3, Hadith 425).

Islam is a religion of works. “And those whose scales are heavy [with good deeds] – it is they who are the successful. But those whose scales are light – those are the ones who have lost their souls, [being] in hell, abiding eternally” (sura 23:102–103). Muslims believe two recording angels record all of a person’s good deeds and intentions throughout their lives. 

Islam has no Savior. Allah is said to have brought his laws to men, and Muslims, by keeping those laws, must satisfy Allah’s requirements and win Allah’s approval. A Muslim does not know whether he will go to paradise or hell. The arbitrary will of Allah makes the decision, and no one can predict what that decision will be.