Monday, June 4, 2012

Cathol-Islam

This past Saturday night I had the privilege of sharing the gospel with a young man by the name of Mario. It was an interesting, yet all too familiar, conversation. Mario has been raised in a Catholic family. His family takes him to mass weekly, he had his confirmation at the age of 13, was baptized as an infant, and he weekly takes the Eucharist (Catholicism's version of communion).

After some getting to know you questions and answers I asked Mario if he could explain the gospel to me (when he looked a bit confused I simplified it to "how can someone go to heaven?"). Not surprisingly he said "live a good life and do good things for others."

I then took him through the Good Person Test. He admitted that he has told lies, dishonored his parents (by lying to them and not always doing what they ask him to do), looked at women with lust (which Jesus equates with adultery in Matthew 5:27-28). At the end of the test I asked Mario, "If God were to judge you by His standards would you be innocent or guilty?"

He said he would be innocent.

I asked him "Why?"

He said "the good things that I have done outweigh the bad things that I have done."

He told me that it was his belief that if a person confessed their wrongs done, was sorry about them, and did good things for others that they would and should be innocent.

In reality his views of God's justice are not that different than a Muslim's views of God's justice. In both Mario and the average Muslim's estimation God is okay with them breaking His laws if they are truly sorry about what they have done and pledge to not do it again for the rest of their lives (the repentance/confession must be genuine).

I tried to explain to Mario that while confession and turning away from bad deeds is a good thing, it is not something that can pardon his personal guilt. I gave him the following example from civil law - "Admitting that you were in fact the thief in a courtroom and saying that you are sorry to the point that you will never do it again will not change the fact that you stole something that did not belong to you. You are still guilty of the crime even if you admit it and apologize. The judge, if he is a good judge, will still give you a sentence which will end with you being in prison."

I finished by telling Mario that it was by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9), through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross alone (His death for our sins, burial, and resurrection) that we can be saved from the penalty of our sins (Romans 6:23, Revelation 20:15, John 3:36), be right in God's sight (2 Corinthians 5:17-19 and 2 Corinthians 5:21, and have a home prepared for us in heaven (John 14:2).

Unfortunately, Mario is like most of humanity. He is trusting in his own goodness and religion to save him on the day of judgment (Hebrews 9:27). Islam's view of "good outweighing bad" is the actually the way most people think. They think that they have to earn their salvation through good works or that they cannot be made right with God because they have done so many bad things that their good could never outweigh their bad. Mario's religion seemed to be a marriage of Catholicism with Islam (hence the blog title).

If you are reading this and thing like Mario in regards to your eternal salvation, please think about the following Scriptures and trust only in Jesus Christ for salvation!

Titus 3:4-7
But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

John 3:16-17
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

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