The Holy Bible teaches us that God provides salvation from sin through the sacrificial death and glorious resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the gift of eternal life (John 19:30; Rev. 1:5; Col. 1:22; 1 Pet. 2:24; Heb. 10:10; Heb.9:26; 1 John 4:10; Eph 2:8-9).
Islam does not promise eternal life. It points only to a path to get there. The paradise promised in Islam is achieved through a series of good works that begin when one becomes a Muslim (Qur’an 18:103f; 29:7; 47:2). When asked about the subject of eternal life, Muslims are found to be generally unsure of their destiny. Ironically they are quick to point out that Islam is the only way to heaven.
While anxious to show others “the way” to heaven even Muslim sheiks are unsure that they will be accepted by God on that Great Day of Judgment. How can it be that Muslims pretend to know the way to heaven, but do not know if they themselves will be there? It has been only in the last ten years or so that contemporary defenders of Islam have propagated the idea that eternal life is guaranteed through reciting a simple affirmation that Muhammad is the prophet of Allah and no other works are required. This position has been recently developed as an attempt to counter the superior benefit Christianity has over works-based religion.
This modern approach was invented for western Christian audiences by late 20th century Muslim apologists, and is not shared by orthodox Islamic scholars. One can attest this fact by simply reading the Qur’an and the works of Sahih Muslim, Sahih Buchari, Yusef Ali’s commentaries, Ibn Taymiyah, Abu Hanifah, Maalik Ibn Anas, Muhammad Ibn Idress ash-Shaafi’ee, and Ibn Hanbal (all Sunni denomination) or Abd Allah bin Sabaa, Kuthaiyir, Kummait, Saiyid al-Himyari, and al-Ansari (all Shi’a denomination).
Conversely, Christianity’s primary Prophet, The Lord Jesus Christ, Who is also much more than a mere prophet – He is The Prophet (Deut. 1815 compare to Acts 3:22f; Matt. 21:11, 46; Luke 7:16; John 3:2; 4:19; 6:14; 7:40; 9:17), and Priest (Heb. 5:1-10; 7:1-28; 9:11-15, 24-28; 10:11-14, 19-22; 12:24), and Messiah (John 1:41; 4:25; Christ = Messiah), and King (Matt. 7:21, 22; 19:23; 22:2-14; 25:1-13, 34; Luke 22:29; 1 Cor. 6:9, 15:50; Gal. 5:21; Eph 5:5; 1 Thess. 2:12; 2 Tim. 4:18; Heb. 12:28, 2 Pet. 1:11; Rev.15:3; 17:14; 19:16) and so much more.
The Lord Jesus Christ possesses in Himself (John 10:18) the very eternal life that Christians are awarded by way of a new birth through the Spirit of God (John 3:3; 2 Cor. 5:17; 1 Pet. 1:23).
In fact, the resurrected life of Jesus Christ is the very same eternal life that is guaranteed to His people (Gal. 2:20), those who are re-born by the Spirit of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
No Body in This Grave. Where did it go?
Jesus the Christ lives; therefore we live (John 14:19). The life He lives is guaranteed to His people by way of His resurrection from the dead. Believers in Christ are given a new life; they are born anew and united with Christ. Christians are one with Christ (John 15:1-11; Rom.12:5).
When God arbitrates Christ’s people before the holy law on that great Day of Judgment, He does not look upon us as individual sinners; we are in His sight as one body with Christ. God always sees the Christian in a special union with Christ and measures the two of them together. God does not say on the Day of Judgment, “Jesus is righteous, but this or that human is unrighteous.” He sees Jesus as well as the Christian as one, and says in effect “They are righteous.” The Christian is incorporated into Christ and Christ into the Christian. All the moral assets of Christ are possessed by the Christian (Psalm 32:2; Rom. 4:6; 2 Cor. 5:19). From a legal perspective, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Christian are now one (Rom. 8:1f).
The Lifeless Body of Muhammad Is Buried Here
Muhammad does not offer his life as a ransom for many, for Muhammad is obviously dead and cannot help anyone. The Lord Jesus Christ is alive. This fact both Muslims and Christians agree. In fact, if we were allowed to visit Saudi Arabia we could go to the tomb of Muhammad and see where he is buried. No one can go to Jesus’s tomb near Jerusalem and say, “Here lies Jesus” because this tomb is empty even though by the testimony of many reliable eyewitnesses, including Jesus’s own enemies comprising of both Roman and Jewish authorities, they all insist He was buried there.
Jesus rose from the dead just as promised in the Hebrew Scriptures (1 Pet. 1:10, 11; Psalm 22; Isaiah 53; Psalm 16:10).
Jesus is the Messiah; Muhammad is not the Messiah. Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1; Qur’an 3:45); Muhammad is not the Word of God. Jesus is the foremost Prophet;
Muhammad considered Himself inferior to Jesus (Qur’an 3:45-48) but attempted to compare himself to Him.
Jesus is uniquely linked to the Spirit of God and Muhammad somehow recognized this remarkable truth, though in a distorted way (1 Pet. 1:11; Philippians 1:19; Qur’an 4:171).
Muhammad does not have this close association with the Spirit of God.
Jesus raised Himself from dead by His own power (John 10:18) and will raise everyone else from the dead, some to eternal life and still judging others who are not His people to eternal damnation (Dan. 12:1-2; John 5:25-32; Rev. 20:11-15).
It would be wise to follow a Living Prophet rather than a dead one.
Feel free to come back with questions. If there are still aspects of this issue that you would like to discuss, please write again.
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