Sin and Atonement in Islam and Christianity - Dynbitflow.dyndns.org/english/IskanderJadeed/Sin_And_Ato… · Web viewSIN AND ATONEMENT. IN ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY ... It is a fact

SIN A

SIN ANDATONEMENT

IN ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY

Iskander Jadeed

The Good Way • Rikon • Switzerland

All Rights ReservedOrder Number: RPB 4401 ENG

First English edition: 1979English title: Sin and Atonement in Islam and Christianity

All Scripture quotations are taken from theNew King James Version, Holy Bible.

All Qur'an quotations are taken from The Koran Interpreted, byArthur J. Arberry

The Good Way P.O. Box 66-CH-8486 Rikon • SwitzerlandInternet://www.the-good-way.come-mail: [email protected]

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SIN IN ISLAM

There are many words for sin in the Qur'an.The most important are as follows:

1. Al Dhanb (offence, crime, misdeed) - Thereare 39 verses on this subject in the Qur'an.Most of them align with the thought expressedin (Sura al-Fath 48:1-2) "Lo, We have giventhee (O Muhammad) clear victory that Allahmay forgive thee of thy sin (Al Dhanb) which ispassed, and that which is to come."

2. Al Fahsha) (vile deed, crime, adultery) - Thisterm is used mostly to express the sin ofadultery. The Qur'an forbids it saying, "Do notdraw near to vile deeds, neither that wich isseen or that which is hidden" (Sura al-An'am6:151).

3. Al Wizr (sin as a heavy load, burden,encumbrance) - "Have We not given theerelief, and removed the burden (Al Wizr) whichweighed down on thy back" (Sura al-Sharh94:1-3)?

Explaining this verse, Al Fakhr Al Razi said that

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4 Sin and Atonement

the angel Gabriel came to Muhammad, cutopen his chest, took out his heart, washed andpurified it from rebelliousness, and then filled itwith knowledge and faith.

Ibn Hisham, quoting Muhammad Ibn Ishaq,explained this, saying: "A group ofMuhammad's friends asked him, 'O prophetof Allah, tell us about yourself.' He replied, 'Iwas nursed among the Bani Sa}d. When I waswith a foster brother behind our houses takingcare of the herd, there came to me two mendressed in white, and carrying a golden bowlfull of snow. They took me and split open mybody and removed my heart and split it andtook from it a clot of dark blood, and threw itaway. Then they washed my heart and mybody in the snow. Then one said to the other,'Weigh him against ten of his people.' He didso, and I outweighed them. Then he said,'Weigh him against one hundred of his people.'He did so, and I outweighed them also. Thenhe said, 'Weigh him against a thousand of hispeople.' He did so, and I outweighed themalso. Then he said, 'Leave him, for by Allah, if

Sin in Islam 5

you were to weigh him against all his people,he would outweigh them."

4. Al Dalai (straying, to be lost) - "Thy Lord willgive unto thee so that thou wilt be satisfied. DidHe not find thee an orphan and shelter thee?Did He not find thee destitute and enrich thee"(Sura al-Duha 93:6-8)? Al Kalbi interpreted theword 'lost and straying' as 'unbelief.'

5. Al Kufr (godlessness, atheism) - As theQur'an says to the believers, "Allah hath madeatheism (Al Kufr) and iniquity and rebellionhateful unto you" (Sura al-Hujurat 49:7). AlZamakhshari explains this expression saying,"There are three subjects here, Al Kufr, whichis denial of God; and Al Fusuk, which is lyingand Al (Usyan, which is rebellion."

6. Al Zulm (unjust, iniquity, unfairness) - As it issaid: "When thy Lord called Moses saying, 'Goto the unjust folk (Al Zalimin)' " (Sura al-Shu(ara) 26:10).

7. Al Ithm (crime, misdeed, offence) - TheQur'an says, "Forsake wickedness; both theopen practice and the secret intention thereof.

6 Sin and Atonement

Lo! those who practice misdeeds will beawarded according to that which they havecommitted" (Sura al-An(am 6:121).

8. AI Fudjur (immorality, depravity) - It is said inthe Qur'an, "And lo! The depraved (Al Fudjur)verily will be in hell, and they will not be absentfrom it, they will burn therein on the Day ofJudgment" (Sura al-Infitar 82:14-15).

9. Al Khati'a (sin, offence) - The Qur'an says,"Whoso committeth a sin (Al Khati'a) ormisdeed (Al Ithm), then blames it on theinnocent, hath burdened himself with slander(Al Buhtan)" (Sura al-Nisa) 4:112).

There are three names for sin in this verse: AlKhati'a, Al Ithm and Al Buhtan. Al Imam AlRazi distinguished between them in these ways:

(1) Al Khati'a is small (sin), and Al Ithm is great(sin).

(2) Al Khati'a is a fault which affects the sinnerhimself, and Al Ithm is a crime against others,such as injustice and murder.

(3) Al Khati'a is an act which should not be donewhether it is either pre-meditated or by

Sin in Islam

7

mistake, and Al Ithm is a sin which isdeliberately committed.

Al Buhtan, however, is the casting of detestablesuspicion on an innocent person. The slan-derer is censured with the strongest censure inthis world and most severely punished inEternity.

10. Al Sharr (evil) - The Qur'an states, "Whosodoeth ill (Al Sharr) an atom's weight, will see itthen" (Sura al-Zalzala 99:8). Abu Ja(far AlTabari, quoting Yunus bin (Abd AV A(la fromIbn Wahab from Yahya bin (Abd Allah fromAbi (Abd Al Rahman AI Hubali from (AbdAllah bin (Amr bin Al (As, said, "This chapterwas sent down when Abu Bakr Al Saddik wasseated. He wept when it was sent down. TheProphet of Allah said to him, 'What makes youweep, Abu Bakr?' and he replied, This Suramakes me weep.' Then the Prophet said tohim, 'If you did not sin and do wrong and inthat received Allah's forgiveness, Allah wouldcreate a people who would sin and do wrongand would forgive them.' "

8 Sin and Atonement

11. Al Sayyi'a (offence, misdeed) - The Qur'ansays, "Whoso bringeth a misdeed (Al Sayyi'a),such will be flung down on their faces in theFire" (Sura al-Naml 27:90).

Ibn (Abbas said, "When this verse was sentdown, the believers found it unbearable, andsaid to Muhammad, 'Who of us has not donemisdeeds, how then will the recompense be?'and Muhammad replied, 'Allah has promisedfor obedience ten blessings, and for onedisobedience one punishment, so one to whoman offence is accounted loses one of the tenblessings and nine still remain."

12. Al Su} (evil, misfortune) - It is said, "Hewho doeth evil (Al Su') will have the recom-pense thereof, and cannot find against Allahany protecting friend or helper" (Sura al-Nisa)

4:123).

13. Al Fasad (corruption) - It is stated in theQur'an, "When (the hypocrite) turns away(from thee) to corrupt the world, the cropsand the people are destroyed and truly Allah

Sin in Islam

9

does not love corruption" (Sura al-Baqara2:205).

14. Al Fisk (viciousness, moral depravity) - It iswritten in the Qur'an, "Verily, We have sentdown unto thee clear verses and no one otherthan the depraved consider them a lie" (Suraal-Baqara 2:99). Commentators expound thatAl Fisk is when man goes beyond that whichGod has limited and that the depraved aregodless.

15. AI Buhtan (slander, lying) - It is written, "I isnot for us to speak of this. Praise to Thee(Allah); this is awful slander (Al Buhtan)" (Suraal-Nur 24:16).

There are many other words which describeSin, but we have no space in which to mentionthem or their Qur'anic context. Before I finishthe discussion about sin, I must mention thatthe Qur'an teaches the existence of 'originalsin' and states that it was the cause of the fall ofAdam and Eve and their descendants. Thereare many verses in the Qur'an proving this, butit is enough to mention the clearest and easiestto understand.

10 Sin and Atonement

For example, the Qur'an states, "And We said,'0 Adam! Dwell you and your wife in Paradise(the Garden of Eden) and eat with pleasurefrom its fruits, wherever you want but do notcome near this tree lest you become of thosewho offend.' But Satan misled them andeypelled them from the place in which theywere; and We said, 'Fall down each one of youa foe unto the other! There shall be for you onearth a habitation and provision for a time.'Then Adam received from his Lord words andhe (Allah) accepted his repentance. Lo! He isthe acceptor of repentance (forgiving), theMerciful" (Sura al-Baqara 2:35-37).

Arabic scholars disagree over the whereaboutsof Adam and Eve before their fall. Abu KasimAl Balkhi and Abu Muslim Al Isfahani saidParadise (the Garden) was on Earth andexplained that the Fall (Al Ihbat) was a transferfrom one place to another, as the Qur'an usesthe verb 'fall' (Ihbat) for removal, e.g. go downto Egypt (Sura al-Baqara 2:61). But Al Djabba'isaid that Paradise (the Garden) was in theseventh heaven, because it is said "fall downfrom it."

Sin in Islam 11

It is to be noted that the Qur'an agrees with thetext of Genesis, in that the rebellion of Adamwas the eating from the tree in the midst of theGarden. However, Muslim scholars disagreeover what kind of tree it was. They have manyaccounts, all based on proofs ascribed toIslamic tradition. To quote some of these:• Ishak, quoting from (Abd Al Razzak, said,

"We were told by Ibn (Uyayna and Ibn AlMubarak and Al Hasan bin (Amara and Minhalbin (Amru and Sa(id bin Jubair and Ibn (Abbasthat the tree which God has forbidden to Adamand his wife was an ear of corn."• Ibn Hamid said that he was told by Salama,quoting Ibn Ishak, some people of Yaman, andWahab bin Munabbih Al Yamani that it waswheat, but that a single grain of it was the sizeof a cow's kidney, softer than butter, andsweeter than honey.• It is said that Abu Bakr Al Saddik asked theProphet of Allah about the 'tree' and hereplied, "The blessed tree was an ear of corn."• Salama said that he was told by Muhammadbin Ishak and Ya(kub bin (Ataba that it was the


tree which the angels rubbed against to gainimmortality.•Ibn Waki} said he was told by (Abd Allah, whoreceived it from Israel, who received it from AlSaddi, who was told by Ibn (Abbas, that it was avine.• Mudjahid and Katada said it was as fig tree.• AI Rabi* Ibn Uns said that he who eats of thetree has to defecate and there should not beany defecation in Paradise (the Garden).The Qur'an agrees also with the book ofGenesis in that Adam and Eve approuchedthe tree to eat through the seduction of theDevil, for it says "the Devil misled them."Ibn Djuraydj said, quoting Ibn (Abbas, that theword "misled" should be "He seduced them."In the teaching of the Qur'an Adam is one ofthe Prophets, and Prophets according toIslamic teaching are infallible. Thus there hasarisen a problem concerning the "fall" ofAdam. Commentators have endeavoured toescape from this difficulty and have said that atthe time when that offence was committedAdam was not a prophet but became one

Sin in Islam 13

afterwards. This opinion is not unanimouslyaccepted. Other commentators have said thatAdam was a prophet from the beginning butfell through forgetfulness. They compared himwith someone fasting who forgets and eats bymistake because he has been absorbed in someactivity of life. Yet other version is that Eveoffered him wine until he became drunk.Therefore, he sinned while he was drunk.

I can't understand how this explanation canfind acceptance since the Qur'an says, "ThenAdam received from his Lord words and He(Allah) accepted his repentance. Lo! He is theacceptor of repentance (forgiving), andMerciful" (Sura al-Baqara 2:37) The word'repentance' here shows that without doubt,he fell into sin wilfully even though, as the Biblesays, he tried to blame Eve.

On the other hand, many scholars confirm thatAdam ate from the tree intentionally. AbuDja'far Al Tabari, quoting Yunis (Abd Al} A(laand Wahab and Ibn Zayd, in explaining theexpression "Adam received from his Lordwords" said, "He, Allah, taught them this


verse, 'Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves.If you do not forgive us and have mercy on us,surely we are lost.' "

Musa bin Harun, quoting (Amr bin Hammadand Asbat and Al Saddi, in explanation of theverse, "Adam received from his Lord words"said, "Adam said to the Lord, 'Have you notcreated me by your hand?' The answer wasyes. 'Have you not breathed into me yourspirit?' The answer was yes. 'Does not yourmercy surpass your wrath?' The answer wasyes. He said, 'O Lord, have you predestinedme to do this?' The answer was yes. Then hesaid, 'O Lord, if I repent and make amends, willyou restore me to Paradise (the Garden)?' Hesaid yes Allah said, Then his Lord chose him,and accepted his repentance and guided him."

Another account from Muhammad binBashshar, who quoted (Abd Al Rahman binMahdi, who was informed by Sufyan, whoreceived it from (Abd Al (Aziz bin Rafi\ who inturn said he was informed by one who heard(Ubayd bin (Umayr, says that Adam said, "O

Sin in Islam 15

Lord, this sin of mine which I committed, was itforeordained by You before You created me orsomething which I invented myself?" Allahsaid, "It was something I foreordained for youbefore I created you." Then Adam said, "AsYou have foreordained this for me, forgiveme." So the verse, "Adam received from hisLord words" was given.

All these explanations do not negate the logicalfact that Adam chose to sin. This is what AlFakhr Al Razi thought when he said, "Theverses which they (scholars) adhere to con-cerning actions of people are many, and thefirst of them is the story of Adam. They holdseven views with regard to this:

1. That he was disobedient and the disobedientis a great sinner in two ways. First, the text ofthe Qur'an demands that he must bepunished according to the word of theHighest who said 'who disobeys Allah andHis Prophet deserves the fires of the hell.'Sedondly, the word 'disobedient' is a dero-gatory title which must not be given except togreat sinners.


2. It is demonstrated from the story of Adam thathe was seduced, as the Qur'an states: 'Hewas seduced,' and seduction is against rightguidance.

3. He was repentant, and the repentant is anoffender. The repentant is remorseful overhis offences, and the one who is thusremorseful confesses about himself that heis an offender. If he lies in that confession,then he is an offender in lying, and if he istrue in his confession, he has proved himselfan offender.

4. He committed that which was forbidden byHis (Allah's) words, 'Did I not forbid that treeto both of you?' and 'Do not draw near to thistree,' and the committing of that which isforbidden is the essence of offence.

5. He was called a transgressor according to his(Allah's) words, Then you will be from thetransgressors.' He (Adam) called himself atransgressor in the verse, 'O Lord, we havetransgressed against ourselves.' The trans-gressor is accursed, according to Allah'swords, 'Truly the curse of Allah rests on thetransgressors,' and he who merited the cursewas a great sinner.

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17

6. He (Adam) confessed that if it were not for theforgiveness of Allah granted to him, then hewould surely be one of those who had lost all.Thus he declared himself to be a great sinner.

7. He was sent out of the Garden because ofSatan's devilish insinuation, and his degrada-tion was a recompense for his act in obeyingSatan. This demonstrated that he was a greatsinner.

There is disagreement among scholars as tohow Satan entered Paradise (the Garden) andwas enabled to tempt Adam.

Al Kassas, quoting Wahab bin Munabbih andAl Saddi and Ibn (Abbas, said that "WhenSatan wanted to enter Paradise (the Garden),he was forbidden by the angelic guards. Afterhe had presented himself to the other animalsand not one of them had accepted him hecame to the serpent, a creature having fourlimbs, the best of all walking creatures. So theserpent swallowed him and brought him intothe Garden secretly. When the serpent enteredParadise (the Garden), the Devil emerged fromhis mouth, and busied himself with his whisper-


ings. There is no doubt that the serpent wascursed, lost its legs and had to crawl upon itsbelly. Its sustenance was found in the dust and itbecame an enemy of the children of Adam."

In a book (Djami( Al Bayan) of Al Tabari, hequotes Al Hasan Abi Yahya and (Abd AlRazzak who said "(Amr bin (Abd Al Rahmanbin Muharrib told us that he heard Wahab binMunabbih say, 'When Allah put Adam and hisdescendants in Paradise (the Garden), Heforbade them the Tree'. The Tree' hadmanifold intertwining branches and fruit whichthe angels partook of in order to gain theirimmortality. This is the fruit which Allahforbade Adam and his wife. When the Devildesired to cause their downfall he enteredinside the serpent, which had four limbs andwas from the best of the walking creatureswhich Allah had created. When the serpententered Paradise (the Garden) the Devilemerged from inside it and took from theTree' which God had forbidden to Adam andhis wife and brought the fruit to Eve and said,

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'Look at this Tree, how fragrant is its scent,how delicious its taste and how nice its colour.'So Eve took and ate from it, then went with itto Adam and said, 'Look at this Tree, howfragrant is its scent, how delicious its taste andhow nice its colour.' Then Adam also ate fromit, and their shame appeared to them. Adamthen entered the hollow of the Tree and hisLord called to him, 'O Adam where are you?'He replied, 'I am here, O Lord.' Allah askedhim, 'Will you not come forth?' But Adamreplied, 'I am embarrassed before Thee, OLord.' Then Allah said, 'Cursed be the earthfrom which you were created, a curse whichwill change its fruits into thorns.' (There wasnot in Paradise (the Garden), nor on earth,anything like it (the fruit) which was better thanthe banana and the lotus.) Then God said, 'OEve, you are the who deceived my slave. Youwill not become pregnant except with aversion,and when you desire to bring forth chilren youwill often be near to death.' To the serpent He(Allah) said, 'You were the one who brought


the accursed one inside you into the Garden toreceive my slave. Therefore, you are comple-tely cursed. Your limbs will go into your belly,and there shall be no sustenance for you otherthan dust. You are the enemy of men and theyare yours. Wherever you find one of them youwill catch his heels, and where he finds you hewill shatter your head."

Other experts in the Islamic Law say that whenAdam and Eve were going towards the gate ofthe Garden the Devil was waiting nearby, andhe began to whisper to them.

However, there is a text in the Qur'an whichsettles the mater as to whether Adam was asinner. This says, "But Satan whispered tohim, 'O Adam! Shall I show thee the tree ofimmortality and a possession that wasteth notaway?' Then the two of them ate so that theirshame became apparent unto them and theybegan to cover themselves with some of theleaves of the Garden. And Adam disobeyed hisLord, so he went astray" (Sura Ta Ha 20:120-121).

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This word 'astray' is taken from a root,meaning 'error.' Al Razi in explaining the word'astray' says it is synonymous with 'error.''Error' is the opposite of 'integrity of conduct.'Such a sin includes only the depraved who isresigned to his dissolute life.

Abu Imam Al Bahili said, "The case of Adamwas extraordinary, as Allah awakened in himdesire for continual rest and an ordered life byhis saying, 'Let him not drive you both out ofthe Garden so that you be distressed... and thatyou do not thirst therein nor toil' (Sura Ta Ha20:117,119). The Devil also made him desirecontinual rest saying, 'Shall I show thee theTree of Immortality' and also to desire anordered life by saying, 'and a possession thatwasteth not away?' The thing which Allahmade Adam desire was the same as mentionedby the Devil. But Allah made it conditional onhis not touching the tree. Satan on the otherhands entired him to partake of it. Then seeingas Adam had a perfect mind and the knowl-edge that Allah was his Lord, teacher andhelper, and the knowledge that the Devil was


his enemy, how did he believe the Devil andreject the word of Allah?"It is a fact that the commentators are unable toeradicate the offence of Adam, because theQur'an declares his offence in the saying,"Adam disobeyed his Lord and went astray."The commentators all agree, relying on theverses of the Qur'an, that rebellion is anoffence, and "the rebel" is a name ofdisparagement which is not given except to agreat sinner. There is no reason in giving thename "a great sinner" except it be to one whohas committed a deed worthy of punishment.

FORGIVE USOUR DEBTS

as we alsoforgive

our debtors

SIN IN CHRISTIANITY

Sin is evident in the history of mankind.Everyone who examines his own heart orconsiders the behaviour of his fellowman mustadmit it to be a reality. All men, even thosewho have never received the light of divinerevelations, are conscious of their sins andconfess their shortcomings and inability to fulfillthe moral obligations demanded of them.

Sin is not merely shameful behaviour as manypeople think, but it is also a departure fromGod, our Creator and sole aim. This departurefrom God is not just the inclination towardsevil; it is a separation from that which is good.

Experience has proved that the natural mancannot discern the power of sin and thestrength of its influence in man. The believerhas the divine law as his instructor to lead himto Christ. Christ gave man grace, so he knowsthe reality of sin and its effect in luring him intoa state of depravity. He became aware of hisneed for divine grace and for the blood ofatonement for his justification.

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Sin is transgression of the law of God (1. John3:4). It is offensive to God no matter what thesinner's excuse may be or how insignificant thesin.

The Coming of Sin into the World

We read in Romans 5:12 that "Sin came intothe world through one man, and death throughsin, and so death spread to all men, because allmen sinned." The apostle means that thecause of all men becoming sinners was Adam,the father of mankind. Paul, in using the words"through one men," looks upon Adam and Eveas one, as is mentioned in Genesis 5:2. Theapostle does not mention the temptation by theserpent nor Eve's disobedience because hispurpose is to show that Adam represented allhis ascendants.

Some philosophers say that man is borninnocent and that if he lives in a corruptedenvironment, he would be influenced by it andsin would infiltrate him. The truth is man isborn with a sinful nature. A corrupted

Sin in Christianity) 25

environment may assist the growth of sin butman is sinful at heart.

Sin is an Inheritance

We know from experience that a livingcreature can not reproduce offspring differentfrom itself. A bull will not produce a lamb andas Christ said, "grapes are not gathered fromthorns." This law applis also to man. Adam,the father of mankind, lost his righteous lifethrough his disobedience. As a punishment hewas cast out ot the purity of the Garden ofEden to a land cursed bacause of his sin. Therehe begat children, and as a matter of coursethese descendants knew nothing of the Gardenof Purity. The Bible states this fact in the wordsof David in Psalm 51:5, "Behold I was broughtforth in iniquity and in sin did my motherconceive me." Paul also said in Romans 3:10-12, "None is righteous, no, not one; no oneunderstands, no one seeks for God. All haveturned aside, together they have gone wrong;no one does good, not even one."

Augustine explained the teaching of the Bible


concerning the Fall and the inheritance of sin,saying:

1. God created the first man in His own likeness,in knowledge and righteousness and holiness,chosen bo be immortal; and committed tohim the responsibility for other creatures. Hegave Adam the power to choose good or evil,thus confirming his moral nature.

2. Allowed to choose his own way, Adam sinnedagainst God by choosing wrongly when hewas tempted by the Devil. He fell from the lifefor which he was created.

3. As a result of his disobedience, he lost hisdivine likeness and his whole nature wascorrupted and ruined. Now being spirituallydead, he became incapable of doing good.He became subject to physical death andexposed to all the evils of this life and eternaldeath.

4. Thus, that which is true of Adam as head ofthe human race is true also of his desden-dants. They are born condemned, devoid ofthe likeness of God, and morally depraved.

5. This personal inherited corruption is the verynature of sin, though it is not sin in action.

Sin in Christianity 27

6. The loss of original righteousness and thecorruption of nature, which resulted fromAdam's sin, are the penalties of the first sin.

7. Regeneration is the wonderful work of theHoly Spirit. Man is the object, not the authorof it. Without exception it is related to the willof God. Salvation is of grace alone.

The Effect of Sin on Man

The English scientist Huxley has said, "I knowof no study which has led to spiritual miserygreater than that of the evolution of mankind.From the dark background of the study ofhistory it seems that man is subject to anelement put within him which dominates himwith a terrible power. He is a blind and feeblevictum of impulses leading him to destructionand given up to endless delusions which bringupon him heavy mental cares, resulting in hisphysical body being worn out by worry andstrain. For thousands of years he has been thesame, fighting and persecuting his fellowmanand returning to lament his victims and buildtheir tombs."


Does anyone need such a testimony to realizethe effect of sin? Isn't enough for man to lookinto the depth of his own heart, to discover histendencies and whims and realize the presenceof the law of sin dwelling in him?

We have only to glance at human society toperceive this fact in all men. As Psalm 14:1says, "They are corrupt, they do abominabledeeds," and in Isaiah 53:6, "All we like sheephave gone astray; we have turned everyone tohis own way." All are devoid of that likeness ofGod which Adam had before he fell.

The existence of sin in the life of every man isindisputable. The corrupt nature of man isevident in his inability to keep the moral laweven though there be personal contrition. Thisis a sign of his degeneracy and failure. He mustreceive the help of God through the HolySpirit. It is quite evident to us that the soul ofman is devoid of the original righteousnesswhich the first man had before the Fall.

It is enough for us to take a look at the historyof crime over the years to find conclusive proofthat man has lost his godly nature and taken on

Sin in Christianity 29

a nature of corruption. The first time we seethis evil nature is in Cain, the son of Adam. Hekilled his brother Abel. Why did he kill him?Was it not because Cain was evil? Why do wequarrel one with another? Is it not because ofthe evil nature deeply rooted in us? Why doesone nation war against another nation? Is it notthe cumulative effect of the sin of individuals?

The Wages of Sin

God said to Adam in Geneses 2:17, "Of thetree of the knowledge of good and evil you shallnot eat, for in the day that you eat of it, youshall die." We read in Ezekiel 18:20, "The soulthat sins shall die," and in Romans 6:23, "Thewages of sin is death." Adam and Eve diedspiritually when they sinned, were cut off fromGod, and lost their holy spiritual fellowship withthe Lord God. Also, they lost the desire to be inthe presence of God and hid from him amongthe trees of the garden (Genesis 3:8). Perhapssome lack of bodily strength or illness causedthem to remember the Lord's warning, "Theday that you eat of it you shall die."


It certainly is alarming to see the result of one'ssin face to face. But did the first family lose allits privileges? Has hope been lost therefore ofmankind ever being able to return to that statein the garden which was lost as a result of sin?Has his purity been taken from him forever?No! For God is love, and His love is rich inmercy, and with Him is great forgiveness. Lovemoved His heart with compassion which hasno delight in the death of the wicked. He hasbecome the Saviour and Redeemer of mankindin the person of Jesus Christ the Word, whowas in the beginning with God. The first thingthe love of God did was to cover the nakednessof Adam and Eve, clothing them with garmentsof skins (Genesis 3:21). In so doing the LordGod initiated the principle of the covenant ofatonement.

ATONEMENT IN ISLAM

There are fourteen verses in the Qur'an on thesubject of atonement. According to the themeof the chapter, we find the first of the Qur'anictexts on atonement in the saying of Allah, "Ifyou show your almsgiving, it is a blessing, but ifyou give it to the poor secretly, it will be betterfor you, and He will atone for your evil deeds"(Sura al-Baqara 2:271).

The theologians explain atonement as a cover-ing or veil. This explanation is near to thethought of the Old Testament. It is a fact thatpersonal works in Islam as in Judaism, play animportant part in the matter of atonement forsins. The foremost of these works is prayer. Asit is said, "Establish worship (pray) at the twoends of the day, and some time in the night.Lo! Good deeds annul evil deeds" (Sura Hud11:114).

Al Tirmidhi quotes Abi Alyu saying, "A womancame to me to buy dates. I embraced and

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kissed her, and then I went to Muhammad andinformed him of what had happened. Hebowed his head in thought a long time thensaid: 'Pray (establish worship) at the two endsof the day and in sometime of the night. Lo,good deeds annul evil deeds.' Which meansthat the 'five (official) prayers' annul sins andatone for them.

Then his companions said, 'O prophet ofAllah, is this specially for this man or for allmen?' He replied, 'It is for all.' "

Muslim related that (Abd Allah said, "A mancame to the prophet and said, 'O prophet ofAllah, I had handled a woman from theoutskirts of the town and gratified my desirebut without intercourse. Here I am. Judge meas you wish.' (Umar nearby said to him, 'Allahwould have kept your secret if you had kept ityourself.' The prophet of Allah said nothing,and the man rose and went. Then the prophetcalled him and recited to him this verse:' Establish worship... etc.' "

Muslim quoting Abu Bakr said, "I heard the

Atonement in Islam 33

prophet of Allah say, 'There is no man (in hissituation as a slave to Allah) who sins (offends)and who washes himself (according to theIslamic ritual) and then stands to pray twice thefull ritual prayer and seeks the forgiveness ofAllah, whom He will not forgive.' Then herecited: Those who, when they did an evilthing or wronged themselves, rememberedAllah and implored forgiveness for their sins -who forgives sins save Allah only? - did notknowingly persist in that which they did" (SuraAllmran 3:135).

There is nothing more suggestive of theefficacy of works for atonement than is foundin Sura al-A(raf 7:8-9; "The weighing on thatday is the true (weighing). As for those scale isheavy, they are successful. And as for thosewhose scale is light: those are they who lostthemselves because they rejected our revela-tions."

The Imam Al Razi, in explaining the weighingof works, says two things.

(1) He states that Allah will set up a balance


with an indicator and two weighing pans on theDay of Resurrection, on which will be weighedthe deeds of mankind, their good and their evildeeds.It is related on Ibn (Abbas that he said, "Thebelievers's work will appear in the best formand be placed on the pan of the scales, hisgood deeds outweighing his evil deeds." Thereare many points of view as to how works will beweighed. One is that the works of believers willappear in a form which is good and the worksof the unbelievers in one which is disgraceful,and it is that form which will be weighed. Thesecond is that the weighing will be of the pageson which there is the written record of man'sworks.(2) The second saying, taken from Mudjahidand Al Dahhak and Al A(mash is that thepurpose of the balance is justice and judgment.Muhammad was asked about the weighing onthe day of Resurrection, and he said, "Therecords."

There is an extraordinary story about the


length of the indicator of the balance and thewidth of the weighing pans. (Abd Allah IbnSalam says, "If the earth and heaven were puton one of the weighing pans, there would beroom for them, while Gabriel holding itssupport would be able to observe the indica-tor."

As for the method of weighing, it is told of (AbdAllah Ibn (Umar that he said, "The prophet ofAllah said, 'On the Day of Resurrection, a manwill be brought to the balance and 99 books ofrecords will be brought to him each oneextending as far as the eye can see. In themis written his sins and offences and these will beput on the pan of the scales. Then there will bebrought to him a tiny scrap of paper, äs big asthe finger tip, written on it the confession,There is no god but Allah and Muhammad isthe prophet of Allah.' This will be put on theother scale and will outweigh his evil deeds."

There is a Qur'anic text which alludes to theweights saying, "We prepare just weights forthe Day of Resurrection so that no soul is


wronged in aught. Though it be of the weightof a grain of mustard seed, we bring it. And wesuffice for reckoners" (Sura al-Anbiya) 21:47).

Commentators say that it is possible there willbe a balance to weight the intent of the heartand one to weigh the outward action.

Al Fakhr Al Razi related a current story and itsmeaning: David asked his Lord to show himthe balance and when he saw it, he swooned.When he regained consciousness, he said, "Omy God, who is able to fill the scale with gooddeeds?" He replied, "O David, if I am pleasedwith my servant, I will fill it with fruit (grain)."

Bilal bin Yahya, quoting Hadhayfa, said,"Gabriel, on whom be peace, in the Day ofResurrection will be responsible for the bal-ances and Allah will say, 'O Gabriel, weighbetween them and repay the oppressed, and ifthe oppressor has no good deeds put on hisscale from the evil deeds of his colleague (theoppressed), then the man (oppressor) will goand his burden will be as heavy as moun-tains.'"


Abu Dja'far relates that Muhammad said,"Nothing is put on the scale which is heavierthan excellency of character."

Lastly, it is possible to summarize the com-ments with the word of Muhammad bin Sa(dquoting Ibn (Abbas, "Whoever has surroundedhis ill deeds with his good deeds, his scale willbe heavy. His good deeds will annul his evildeeds, and whoever has surrounded his gooddeeds with his evil deeds certainly his scale willbe light, and he is a child of Hell. His ill deedshave annulled his good deeds."

Godliness atones for sinsAs Allah said, "O you who believe. If youreverence Allah, He will give you discrimina-tion (between right and wrong) and will coveryour evil deeds, and will forgive you, and Allahis of great bounty" (Sura al-Tawba 8:29).

We note here that the reward of godliness isthreefold:

1. He will give you distinction. The word usedfor distinction is interpreted by Islamic


legislators as meaning that Allah will deter-mine between the godly and the ungodly; thatis to say, Allah appoints to the godly guidanceand knowledge, and He endows their heartsand breasts with gladness, and removes fromtheir hearts malice and hatred.

2. He will cover your evil deeds, all the evil youhave committed.

3. He will forgive you.

BLESSED ARE THOSEWHO HUNGERAND THIRST

V I M

for they shallbe satisfied

FORGIVENESS IN ISLAM

When we carefully consider the texts of theQur'an, we find there is a difference betweenatonement and forgiveness. The commenta-tors make the distinction that atonement forevil deeds means a covering in this world andthat forgiveness means removal of sins on theDay of Resurrecton.

Works and ForgivenessThe teaching of Islam tell us that forgiveness ofsins is based on good works, according to thesaying of the Qur'an, "Such as ward off withgood works the evil deed, the outcome forthose will be the (heavenly) Home. They willenter the Gardens of Eden, along with all oftheir forbears and their married partners andtheir descendants who were good (rithteous)"(Sura al-Ra(d 13:21-23).

It is said of Muhammad that he said to Mu'adhbin Djabal, "If you have done an evil deed, thendo along with it a good deed and this will eraseit."

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Also Al Hasan in describing these (who didgood works) said, "They were deprived of help,then they gave; and when unjustly wronged,then they were gracious."

Zudjadj said, "Allah has made it clear that linealdescent is useless if not accompanied by gooddeeds."Al Wahidi and Al Bukhari quoting Ibn (Abbassaid that, "Allah makes part of the reward ofthe obedient the pleasure of having his familywith him in the Garden." This indicates thatthey enter it in honour of the obedient one whois bringing good deeds. If they enter it becauseof their own good deeds, there would be in thisno honour to the obedient one, for everyonewho is good in his deeds will enter Paradise (theGarden).

Fasting and ForgivenessSura al-Ahzab 33:34 says that for those whofast, men and women, there is prepared forthem forgiveness and a great reward.It is stated in the Qur'an that fasting for a

Forgiveness in Islam 41

period of two months obtains forgiveness forthe sin of killing. It is written, "It is notpermissible for a Muslim believer to kill aMuslim believer, unless it be by mistake. Hewho hath killed a Muslim believer by mistakemust set free a Muslim believing slave and payhe the bloodmoney to the family of the slain,unless they remit it as a charity. If he (thevictim) be of a people hostile unto you, and heis a Muslim believer, then he (the slayer) has toset free a Muslim believing slave. And if hecometh of a people with whom you have acovenant, then the bloodmoney must be paidunto his family, and a Muslim believing slavemust be set free. And whoso hath not theability to pay, must fast two consecutivemonths, and Allah will accept this repentance.Allah is Omniscient, Wise" (Sura al-Nisa'4:92).

It is said that thd cause for which this verse wasgiven is as follows: (Urwa bin Al Zubayr relatesthat Hudhayfa Ibn Al Yaman was with theprophet of Allah on the day of the battle ofUhud where the Muslims erred and thought the


father of Al Yaman was one of the unbelievers.So they took him and struck him with theirswords, even though Hudhayfa said, "He is myfather." However they did not understand hiswords until after they had killed him. ThenHudhayfa said, "May Allah forgive you. He isthe most merciful." When the prophet of Allahheard this, Hudhayfa went up in his estimationand thus the verse was given.There is another story behind the verse. AbuDarda\ who was with a group of fighters, wentaside for a certain need. He found there a manwith some sheep and attacked him with asword. Then the man said, "There is no godbut Allah," but Abu Al Darda' killed him anddrove away his sheep. Afterwards he feltdisturbed and mentioned the matter to theprophet who said, "Could you look into hisheart to know if he was a believer or not?"Then Abu Al Darda* repented and thus theverse was given.It is written in the Qur'an also, that fasting forthree days will obtain forgiveness for the sin ofa false oath. As it is written, "Allah will not take


you to ask for that which is unintentional inyour oaths, but He will take you to task for theoaths which ye swear in ernest. The expiationthereof is the feeding of ten of the needyaccording to the average of that wherewith yefeed your own folk, or the clothing of them, orthe liberation of a slave, and for him who hasnot the ability to do so then a three days' fastwill make expiation of your oaths when ye havesworn. Keep your oaths. Thus, Allah ex-pounded unto you His verses in order thatyou may give thanks" (Sura al-Ma'ida 5:89).

Al Fakhr Al Razi mentions that the cause forwhich this verse was given was that some of thefollowers of Muhammad denied to themselvesfood and clothing and choose to becomemonks, and took an oath concerning it.When Allah forbade this they said, "O prophetof Allah, what shall we do about our oath?"Thus the verse was given.

Pilgrimage and Forgiveness

It is quoted, "Lo! (the mountains) Al Safa andAl Marwa are among the signs of Allah. It is


therefore no misdemeanour for him who is onPilgrimage to the House (of Allah) or visiteth it,to go between them. And he who doeth goodof his own accord, lo! Allah is Responsive,Omniscient" (Sura al-Baqara 2:158).

Ibn 'Abbas said, "There was on Al Safa an idoland Al Marwa an idol. The ignorant unbelieversused to circle these spots and touch them, butwhen Islam came the Muslims hated to circlethese spots because of the presence of the twoidols. So this verse was given."

The word "no misdemeanour" mean "nocrime" and God accepts the good work ofhim who voluntarily goes on pilgrimage.

Giving of Alms and Forgiveness

It has been said, "Those who offer prayer andgive alms have a reward with Allah their Lord,and there is no fear for them, and they will notbe sad."

Commenting on this Ibn (Abbas says, "Theyhave no fear of that which awaits them in thecircumstance of the Day of Resurrection, and


they will not be sad over that which they haveleft behind in the world."

Al Asam explains, "There is no fear that theywill suffer on that Day, nor will they be sadbecause they have not obtained as great ahappiness as some others, because there is norivalry in the next life."

Striving in the Way of Allah andForgiveness

In Sura al-Baqara 2:218 we read, "Those whoemigrate and strive in the way of Allah, thesehave hope of Allah's mercy. Allah is Forgiving,Merciful."

It is related of (Abd Allah bin Djahsh that hequestioned Muhammad, "O! prophet of Allah,suppose there is no punishment for what wehave done, can we expect from our worksrecompense and reward?" This verse wasgiven because (Abd Allah had emigrated andhad striven in the way of Allah.


The Reading of the Qur'an andForgivenessIn Sura al-A(raf 7:204 it says, "When theQur'an is read, listen to it, that ye may obtainmercy."

The commentators say that Allah assertedbefore this verse that the Qur'an is mercy forthe world.

In the Hadith it says that Abu Dhar Al Ghifarisaid to Muhammad, "O Prophet of Allah, I amafraid to learn the Qur'an and not practice itsteachings." Muhammad replied, "Be notafraid, O Abu Dhar. Allah does not afflict theheart in which dwells the Qur'an."

About Anas Ibn Malik it is said, "The prophetspoke to me and said, 'Who hears the Qur'an,the afflictions of the world do not come nearhim, and he who reads it will be kept from theafflictions of the life to come."

To quote Ibn Mas'ud, the prophet said, "Hewho reads the Qur'an, learns it by heart andkeeps it, Allah will bring him into Paradise (theGarden), and he will be given permission to


intercede for ten of his own people who weredestined for Hell."

The Testimony of the Creed andForgiveness

Abu Huraira said that Abu Dhar Al Ghifariasked Muhammad, "0 prophet of Allah, howis a Muslim saved?" Muhammad replied, "Heis saved by saying, "I testify that there is no godbut Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is theprophet of Allah.'"

The Will of Allah and Forgiveness

It is said in Sura Al Imran 3:129, "Unto Allahbelongesth the heavens and the earth. Heforgiveth whom He will and punishes whomHe will."

Fakhr Al Razi said in explanation of this verse,"Our colleagues allege in support of this versethat seeing as Allah is above all, He has theright to bring into Paradise through His divinejudgment all unbelievers and rebels, and He hasthe right by His divine judgment to send all the


upright to Hell. There is no protest against Himin the doing of this."

Al Razi does not object to this idea; rather hesupports it when he says, "The verse clearlyindicates this meaning and intellectual proofsupports it also, because the deeds of mandepend on the will, and that will is Allah'screation. If Allah created that kind of will, manobeys, and if He created another kind of will,he disobeys. Man's obedience and his disobe-dience are alike from Allah. As for the acts ofAllah there is nothing obligatory for him.Obedience does not necessarily bring reward,nor disobedience of necessity deverse punish-ment. Everything is from Allah, and is accord-ing to His divine will and compulsion andpower."

Such an idea is opposed to that of the Bible,which insists on sacrifice as an atonement forsin. This obligation was made known from thebeginning for we see the blood of sacrificerunning like a crimson thread through theBible. In the book of Hebrews we read,


"Without the shedding of blood there is noforgiveness of sins" (Hebrew 9:22).In fact, God being perfect, it would not be inaccordance with His will to forgive man his sinon account of His Truth and Justice whichsays, "The soul which sins shall die" (Ezekiel18:4,20). If He is to forgive the sinner theremust be a reason for forgiveness, a reasonwhich satisfies Justice, and this satisfaction inthe Old Testament was from the offering ofanimal sacrifices, goats, calves and sheep. Godaccepted these because they symbolized thesacrifice of Christ, which was offered in theNew Testament of Grace, satisfying divinejustice forever, and making perfect all thebelievers. That which is written in Psalm85:10 was fulfilled: "Truth and mercy havemet together; righteousness and peace havekissed each other."

Sins which Cannot be Forgiven in Islam

(1) The Attributing of Partners to AllahAccording to the Qur'an "Allah pardoneth not


that partners should be ascribed unto Him. HePardoneth all except that." (Sura al-Nisa}

4:116) Commentators say that the polytheistis excluded completely from the mercy ofAllah, as polytheism is a treat error. Somesay this verse was given because of those whoused to worship angels and said that they werethe daughters of God. Razi says those who donot believe in the future life name the angels asfeminine. Other commentators say that theverse was given because of those who used toworship idols, and that there was a demon ineach idol which spoke to them.

(2) The Killing of a Believer

As the Qur'an says, "Whoso slayeth a believerof set purpose, his reward is hell forever. Allahis wroth with him and hath cursed him andprepared for him an awful doom." (Sura al-Nisa) 4:93) Abu Hunayfa said, "There is noatonement for a deliberate killing." Ibn (Abbassaid, "Repentance on the part of one whodeliberately kills is not accepted."


(3) ApostacyAs it is said, "Lo! those who disbelieve aftertheir profession of belief, and afterward grow ininfidelity, their repentance will never be ac-cepted. And such are those who are astray"(Sura Al Imran 3:90).The commentators say that the apostatemultiplies his disbelief. In other words, theapostate, remaining and persisting in it, in-creases his unbelief. It may be that he addsfurther infidelity to disbelief.Al Kaffal and Ibn Al Anbari say, "Whoeverforsakes his faith again, after repenting, hisoriginal repentance is not accepted. It is as if ithad never been."

ATONEMENT IN CHRISTIANITY

Atonement is a word which means a coveringor hiding. In Christianity it denotes the work ofChrist, who by His perfect obedience, providedsalvation for men from the curse of the law andreconciliation to God by the blood of His Cross.Concerning this the apostle Peter says in IPeter 3:18, "For Christ died for sins once forall, the righteous for the unrighteous, that Hemight bring us to God." The value of Christ'satonement is based on His being the eternalSon of God.

Let us look at the atonement of Christ fromvarious angles: first, in its relationship to God inview of His love, justice and holiness; then itsrelationship to man, its work in him and forhim. It is said that Christian atonement is anexpiation for the sin of man and is a cleardeclaration of the effectiveness of the sacrificeof Christ to save the sinner from the curse ofthe Law and to remove condemnation fromhim. It is also said that the atonement of Chistwas a satisfaction to God and a fulfilment of his

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Atonement in Christianity 53

justice; that is, a means of satisfying andpropitiating Him. This is an expression of theeffectiveness of the sacrifice of Christ asremoving the wrath of God and of His pleasurein the acceptance of the sinner unto reconcilia-tion.

It is also said that atonement is a covering forthe sinner by the blood of Christ. Punishment isno longer demanded of him. This has beenremoved and placed upon Christ who wassacrificed for him. This aspect is pointed out bythe apostle John who said, "In this is love, notthat we loved God, but that He loved us andsent His Son to be the expiation for our sins" (IJohn 4:19).

It is said also that atonement opened the doorfor reconciliation between man and God with-out doing injustice to the holy law of God. Thisis what Paul said in II Corinthians 5:19, "Godwas in Christ reconciling the world to Himself,not counting their trespasses against them andentusting to us the message of reconciliation."

Man has philosophized greatly about the natureof God and His relation to His sinning creatures


but has never reached a satisfactory conclu-sion. Where philosophies of the world failed,the Bible makes it clear. It says that God is justand His justice demands the punishment of thesinner, so there can be not reconciliationwithout atonement. The practice of sacrificesto cover sin began with this fact. It began in theGarden when God made coverings of skin forAdam and Eve for it was necessary to slayanimals to obtain these skins.

We know from the Bible that the sacrifice ofAbel which God accepted was a shadow of thecoming atonement. But it (sacrifice) was byrevelation and inspiration (Genesis 4:4).

In the same way the ram which was providedby God for Abraham to redeem his son Isaac,was also a type of the atonement through thesacrifice of Christ which God planned from thebeginning (Genesis 22:1-14).

The passover lamb also, which God orderedthe people to offer in Egypt (Exodus 12:1-42),was again an outstanding type of the NewTestament passover Lamb of God, spoken ofby Paul in I Corinthians 5:7,8: "For Christ, our


paschal lamb, has been sacrificed. Let ustherefore celebrate the festival, not with theold leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, butwith the unleavened bread of sincerity andtruth."

In the New Testament, 'atonement' is repre-sented as the 'redemption', which Christaccomplished on the Cross in order to fulfilthe demands of the law of God in the place ofsinful man and for his salvation. There was inHis sufferings and substitutionary death anatonement to completely fulfil the punishmentdue to man for his sin. It fulfilled the demandsof divine justice, and justifies the sinner whobelieves and repents.

In the language of the Bible the redemption ofChrist is expressed in the word 'grace,' becausethe Heavenly Father was not obligated to offera sacrifice for sinful man. Neither was the Sonobligated to take human form in the capacity ofa Redeemer. God, who is rich in mercybecause of His great love, put an end to thepunishment of the Law, accepting the vicarious


sufferings voluntarily endured by the incarnateWord of God instead of sinful man.

The Redeemer made this truth clear when Hesaid in John 10:15, "I lay down my life for thesheep." When we compare this statement withJohn 15:13, "Greater love has no man thanthis, that a man lay down his life for hisfriends," we can grasp the purpose for whichGod was ready to empty Himself and becomeflesh and suffer, carrying our sins in His bodyon the cross.

The apostle Paul has made clear the need forthis vicarious suffering in his letter to theRomans, "For God has done what the law,weakened by flesh, could not do: sending Hisown Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and forsin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in orderthat the just requirement of the law might befulfilled in us, who walk not according to theflesh but according to the Spirit" (Romans8:3,4). That is to say that eternal death, thewages of our sin, was taken by Christ uponHimself, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah53:5, "Upon Him was the chastisement that


made us whole; and with His stripes we arehealed."

Redemption gives assurance of forgiveness andcontinuing blessings of salvation for God'sbelieving people, and that for two reasons:

First of all, God promised redemption tobelievers, in view of the obedience and suffer-ings of Christ. We read the words of the apostlePaul in Romans 5:18,19, "Then as one man'strespass led to condemnation for all men, soone man's act of righteousness leads toacquittal and life for all men. For as by man'sdisobedience (Adam) many were made sinners,so by one man's obedience (Christ) many willbe made righteous."

Secondly, redemption has satisfied the require-ments of God's justice because it is based onthe eternal covenant between the Father andthe Son. To remove any possible doubt manmay have concerning the fact Divine revelationhas recorded that, "When Christ came into theworld, He said, 'Sacrifice and offerings thouhast not desired, but a body hast thou preparedfor me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings thou


hast taken no pleasure.' Then I said, 'Lo, I havecome to do thy will, O God.' " (Psalm 40:7 andHebrews 10:5-7) So Jesus became man, to bea substitute for the sinner, and to take thepunishment of condemnation. He fulfilled thedemand of a broken covenant.

The apostle Paul expounded this subjectsaying: "But God shows His love for us in thatwhile we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.Since, therefore, we are now justified by Hisblood, much more shall we be saved by Himfrom the wrath of God" (Romans 5:8-9).

Reasons for Redemption

1. The need of SalvationRedemption is not merely a collective need, buta personal necessity for every individual. Everyman is doomed and perishing. Christ onceasked the question, "What shall a man give inreturn for his life?" (Matthew 16:26) Man hasnothing with which to redeem his soul, neitheris he able to redeem his brother. God spoke


through the words of David in Psalm 49:7,"Truly no man can ransom himself, or give toGod the price of his life."

As for repentance, in man's heart there is anatural intuitive awareness that it cannotremove past sins. There must be some othermeans of obtaining forgiveness, and this is byway of redemption. Otherwise how can weexplain the existence of sacrifice from timeimmemorial, and it being found in mostreligions of the world? Is it not that they agreewith the need the sinner feels in his heart forredemption? It is a fact that our moral natureleads us to respect the demands of holiness,even if our behaviour contradicts it. Everyoneof us realizes that his conscience is disturbedabout deliverance from the outcome of hisformers sin. Deliverance is only by justificationthrough redemption.

2. Man's Depravity - God's Holiness

God is holy and man is a sinner. Man's sin is inopposition to divine holiness. Therefore, it isunder condemnation. If it were possible to


become righteous through repenting, stillman's righteousness would not move past sins.But if God forgave him without redemption,the sinner would have no respect for God'slaw, nor His holiness. Therefore, redemptionwas ordained to remove the condemnation ofsin and reveal the absolute perfection of God'scharacter.

3. Redemption is consistent with Man'sMoral Need

Man has a moral nature. His conscienceteaches him the excellence of justice andholiness. If he is under conviction of sin andknows nothing of atonement, his conscience isdisturbed. However, forgiveness by means ofredemption satisfies man's conscience andfulfills his moral needs.

4. Redemption meets the Requirementsof the Law

The Law demands the punishment of sinners.A Law which is without punishment is notpracticable. It is self-evident that an honorable


law demands punishment and that forgivenesswithout redemption means the collapse andfailure of the Law. This is opposed to the wordof Christ in Matthew 5:18, "For truly, I say toyou, till heaven and earth pass away, not aniota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all isaccomplished." This must be remembered,that any forgiveness without redemption istantamount to saying that sin need not bepunished. This is an insult to the justice andholiness of God.

5. Redemption is Specified in the Word ofGod

If there had been no need for redemption, Godwould not have included it in His Holy Word. InJohn 3:14 Christ states, "As Moses lifted upthe serpent in the wilderness, so must the Sonof Man be lifted up, that whoever believes inHim may have eternal life."

6. The Requirement of the Moral Order

God, being a moral judge, must comply vwiththe order of His own judgement. Disobedience


and confusion cannot be approved in a moraluniverse over which He rules. He cannot makelight of the breaking of His commandments,but must call transgressors to account, andsentence them to punishment. In fact, in thedivine provision of redemption God reveals Hishatred of sin and His wrath upon evil. In orderto honour His law He has opened the door ofreconciliation to sinners.

7. The Fact that Atonement Exists inmany ReligionsThis shows that the conscience of man calls forredemption and is not satisfied with mererepentance for sin. Man seeks atonement,which is by the shedding of sacrificial bloodfor the sinner.

All these reasons prove the necessity forredemption.

Good Works and Forgiveness1. Good works are a moral obligation and mustbe done, but they donot compensate for sinscommitted. In other words, they can never be a


means of forgiveness for past sins. Christindicated this truth by his words, "When youhave done all that is commanded you, say, 'Weare unworthy servants; we have only donewhat was our duty.'" (Luke 17:10) And theapostle Paul says in Ephesians 2:9, "For bygrace are ye saved through faith; and this is notyour own doing, it is the gift of God - notbecause of works, lest any man should boast."

2. As for our possessions, and the health weenjoy, they are from God, and we are merelyentrusted with them. When we give generouslyor offer service, we have not sacrificed any-thing of our own, or done anything worthy ofreward.

David spoke about this in I Chronicles 29:14,after he had offered large sums of money forthe building of the Temple. He said, "Who amI, and what is my people, that we should beable thus to offer willingly? For all things comefrom thee, and of thy own have we giventhee."

3. The good works which we do are not able towipe out the insult and affront we have


committed against God. His holiness andrighteousness and truth are unlimited, thusgood works cannot obtain forgiveness for us.

4. To be in the presence of God demandsholiness from us. Without holiness none canever see God. Good works alone cannot makeus holy. Holiness is given to the believer who isborn of the Spirit of God. Christ said, "Unlessone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannotenter the kingdom of God. That which is bornof the flesh is flesh, and that which is born ofthe Spirit is spirit." (John 3:5,6)

Prayer and ForgivenessIt goes without saying that prayer is a link withGod by conversation with Him and meditationupon His Person.

The sinner is separated from God and hisprayer is not acceptable. Therefore, he will notreceive an answer. God has said so through theprophet Isaiah. "Your iniquities have made aseparation between you and your God, andyour sins have did His face from you so that Hedoes not hear. For your hands are defiled with


blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lipshave spoken lies, your tongue mutters wicked-ness." (Isaiah 59:2,3) David also experiencedthis truth, and said by the Spirit of prophecy,"If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, theLord would not have listened." (Psalm 66:18)

Fasting and ForgivenessFasting like prayer is a facet of worship. It es anaspect of humility and brokeness before God,but it cannot bring man back to the state ofrighteousness which he had before he fell. Likeprayer, fasting has no power to compensatefor the offence of sin to a holy God. So itcannot be a means of forgiveness. God has saidin the words of Zechariah the prophet, "Whenyou fasted and mourned... was it for me thatyou fasted? And when you eat and when youdrink, do you not eat for youselves and drinkfor yourselves?" (Zechariah 7:5-6)

A Summary

1. Man's salvation is based on redemption.This is no mere philosophic theory but anactual fact necessary to the removal of theburden of sin from fallen man.

2. We all agree that Adam fell and that his fallinvolved all mankind for Adam was man'srepresentative in the divine test. For this reasonGod in love planned the removal of the penaltyof sin from man, whom he had created in Hislikeness, by providing a substitute for him.

This substitute must be able to express thepower and love of God in order that man mightbe saved. Such an expression of His love mustcome from God himself. So God in His love formankind willed that Christ should participate ina flesh and blood relationship with man, and bea perfect substitute for man or, as the apostlesaid, a second Adam. Thus the first Adamrepresented man in the fall, and the secondAdam was man's substitute in atonement andredemption.

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Summary 67

3. It was necessary for this representative topay the full price to remove sin from the world.Christ paid it by His dying on the Cross whereHe carried our sins in His body. Whatconvinces us of the need of the redemptionby the cross, is the offering of blood sacrificesof old, which pointed as a type to Jesus theLamb of God.One of the special characteristics of thesacrifice of Christ is that it not only removessin from man, but heals him of a moral disease.The life of each one who receives Christ theCrucified is renewed. There is born within hima hatred of sin. The Cross especially hasopened the eyes of his mind to see the awfulwork of sin and its terrible punishment.At this point comes the word of the apostleJohn saying, "If we walk in the light, as He is inthe light, we have fellowship with one another,and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses usfrom all sin" (I John 1:7).

Quiz

Dear Friend, after reading this booklet pleaseanswer the following questions carefully. If 15of your answers are right we will send youanother booklet.

1. How many names are there for sin in theQuran?2. Were Adam and Eve considered sinners inthe Qur'an?3. Give some Qur'anic references to the sin ofour first parents.4. Explain the Qur'anic verse, "Adam dis-obeyed his Lord, so he went astray."5. What is the definition of sin in Christianity?6. How did sin enter the world?7. Sin is inherited. Is this true? Prove it.8. What is the influence of sin in man?9. What is the wage of sin?10. How many Qur'anic verses point toatonement?

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Quiz 69

11. According to Islam, what is the meaning ofatonement?12. How did the atonement of sins in Islamcome into being?13. What is the difference between atonementand forgiveness in Islam?14. What are the ways of obtaining forgive-ness? How many are there in Islam?15. What is the meaning of atonement inChristianity?16. How was atonement accomplished in theNew Testament?17. Is there a need for redemption? Giveevidence.18. Why does man need salvation?19. Prove man's need for salvation accordingto: reason, the law and morality.20. Try to summarize the subject of thisbooklet by giving a single verse from the Bible.Please don't forget to write your full name andaddress at the end of your test.The Good Way«P.O. Box 66-CH-8486 Rikon• Switzerland

Documents

Sin and Atonement in Islam and Christianity - Dynbitflow.dyndns.org/english/IskanderJadeed/Sin_And_Ato… · Web viewSIN AND ATONEMENT. IN ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY ... It is a fact