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Compare and contrast between Islam and Christianity
Forgiveness and its effects
What are the similarities and differences between christianity and islam
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The concept of atonement in Islam versus Christian Theism can be compared to water and oil. They just don't mix. For one to understand this concept, it is important to know what atonement means to a Christian believer. Atonement means the reconciliation of God and humankind through Jesus Christ. I place great emphasis on "through Jesus Christ." The most considerable difference between Islam views of atonement and Christian Theism view of atonement stands in the very fact that Islam does not believe that humanity was reconciled through Christ. Islam, in fact, does not believe that it was a need for atonement at all. They stand on their truth that humanity was born sinless and in a state of purity and the story of man's fall as described in …show more content…
Ephesians 1:7(ESV) explains it this way, "In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace" and only through faith in Christ can humanity be saved with the hope of eternity with God in Heaven. The Islamic perspective is that only through humanities works and deeds that follows the commandments and laws of the Quran (as amplified by the Hadith and interpreted by the schools of the law, Shari'a) can be forgiven. Surah 25:7 in the Quran states, “And whosoever repents and does righteous good deeds, then verily, he repents towards Allah with true repentance.” However, it is of importance to also point out the similarities of forgiveness as it relates to the two worldviews. Both faiths believe that confession of sin should always be directed to God or Allah, that one should turn from their old ways with the intention to never do it again and that they should trust in the promises of God's forgiveness. They both also believe that true repentance is always open. Nevertheless, for the Islamic faith, forgiveness is through good deeds only. For the Christian Theism faith, it is through faith in Christ (John 14:6). Therefore, from an Islamic perspective, the hope of
“Sin finds its remedy under the fourth fundamental Christian doctrine, the atonement, worked by Jesus Christ. The orthodox understanding of the atonement sees Christ’s death as satisfying the just wrath of God over man’s sins.” Generally speaking, God has provided a way for man to escape eternally death. It’s the way for his creation to be reconciled back to him. “When Christ died, the Trinity itself split, in order to fulfill the law while providing forgiveness to humans. The doctrine that God himself keeps the law-his own law-even at so a [sic] great a cost to himself, demonstrates his most profound commitment to the rule of law. All things considered, God in the person of Jesus Christ came to earth and obeyed the laws of God without deviation he accepted the Laws of
As for the Christian belief, there are no other forms of salvation other than through Jesus. In contrast, the Jewish belief is that humans are not born good or bad, but they are born with both. As the human progress through life, they have the free moral will to choose the good and this free moral is more powerful than the evil inclination. The Jewish ethics is that humans have the ability to think for themselves on how to act. Temptation allows people to choose their course in life and to be held responsible for their action. In other words, the Jewish thinkers have focused their lives to have a good life here on earth and to try and improve the world, leaving concerns about death and beyond until that time arrives. The Christian belief propels them to seek forgiveness before they cross the
But Islam is centered on justice and the destruction of unbelievers. Allah is merciful -- but not to infidels. The early history of Christianity is one of persecution and martyrdom; Jesus himself submitting to crucifixion. In contrast, Islam was not born in submission and earnest entreaty, but in warfare against the enemies of Allah.
These two religions’ are both monotheistic and believe in a single God. In the Muslim religion God goes by the name of Allah. However, there is controversy over the idea of God. The Christians believe God to be composed of 3 main parts: The father, the son, and the Holy Spirit. The Muslim Religion believes God is only one thing. The Muslims believe Allah has no equal, no parents, and no children. God or Allah is the deity that will determine if a person will go to heaven or hell. He is the source of all Justice and morality. Judgment day is also an idea that is present in both of the religions. On Judgment day it will be decided if a person is allowed passage into heaven or damned in
It can be said that in God's eyes, Christians are only dirty glasses which are stained inside and out with their own sin. These glasses were once clean, not plagued with stains. Now the glasses bear with them these ugly stains, the stains of sin and wrongdoing. The dirty glasses had to accept their punishment for becoming dirty, and the punishment was being destroyed by a hammer. The hammer is God's instrument against sinners. As the hammer made its decent on the glass, a pan covered the glass and took the blow of the hammer to save the glass. This pan represents Jesus because Jesus sacrificed himself to God so that God would forgive us for our sins.
Erickson (1998) says there are a few theories on the atonement depending on how your read certain scripture, the theories are as follows: The Socinian Theory (1998:801); This theory speaks of Christ on the Cross as a perfect example of what kind of dedication followers of God must do, there is no connection to a sacrificial death whatsoever. The moral influence theory (1998:802); This theory believes the cross was an example of God’s love and not much more. The Governmental theory (1998:806); This theory sees the death of Christ on the Cross as atonement and also as a picture to the believer as to how serious sin is, and it must not be taken lightly. The Ransom Theory (1998:810); In this theory it is proposed, and quite popularly so, that as slaves to the world of Satan, humanity needed saving, Jesus’ death became our ransom, his death took our place. With this theory, the identity of Jesus was concealed from Satan, so he would accept the ransom. Finally the Satisfaction Theory (1998:813); This theory speaks about Christ’s death as satisfaction in place of all man-kinds sin, it also speaks against the fact Satan needed a payment of any kind, and it isn’t centred on man.
When compared to each-other, each of the religion’s approach to justice and forgiveness is remarkably similar. Although the customs and standards may vary widely, and in fact vary even within different sects of each religion, justice and forgiveness operate on largely the same principle: man’s nature is to act against God’s justice, but man is capable of repairing his relationship with God through the process of forgiveness.
The term “atonement” originates from the Greek word katallage which means “reconciliation, restoration to favor”. The HELPS Word Studies gives this definition, “reconciliation (restoration) as the resulting of Christ exactly (precisely) exchanging His righteousness (blood) for our guilt. During the Old Testament times, sin was only
Theologian, C. S. Lewis is quoted as saying; “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in us.” We are reminded in an almost hourly bases, that we live in a world filled with many barriers, which divide us, such as pain, hatred and sorrow just to name a few. The good news is that God sent Son Jesus, as mentioned in Isaiah 9:6 as the “Prince of Peace” to reconcile us for this very reason. Everyday Jesus knocks down the barriers of separation, to a unity in which we are called to enjoy.
Christians also believe that Jesus died on the cross to repent the sin's of man. On the other hand, Judaism believes that Jesus did not die to repent man's sins. Sins are not repented by Jesus’s death, but by just seeking forgiveness.
Islam teaches that there is one God: the creator and sustainer of the universe, who is compassionate and just. He calls all the people to believe in Him and worship Him. When someone disobeys the Lord, they may be forgiven if they sincerely repent. In Christianity, the first, and most important of the Ten Commandments states that "I am the Lord thy God." Thou shalt have no other gods before me."
A strong Christian lesson on the true nature of forgiveness can be found in Christ’s Sermon on the Mount:
God of Islam loves, but has a love for certain people. He loves those who follow and trust him. The Qur’an states who Allah doesn’t love. (Surah Nisa 4:37 Qur’an) states, “…Surely, Allah loves not the proud and the boastful.” This is one of the several sins that Allah disfavors. In Christianity; God loves his people. (Romans 5:8) states, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we are still sinners, Christ died for us.” The commonality is God of both faiths loves the good people who chose to follow the right ways. The God of Islam loves certain people; but regardless, we live in a fallen world where everyone is a sinner ever since the day Adam and Eve sinned. According to both religions, there is an all-forgiving God. (Surat Al-Hajj, 60) of the Qur’an says, “…Allah is all-pardoning, ever forgiving.” Both faiths offer forgiveness when sin is
Sin and salvation are topics that no other worldly religions agree on. These religions base their salvation on good works. An individual’s sin is also justified by their good works; nevertheless, this isn’t so ("Concepts of SIN & Salvation."). Salvation is only received if an individual admits that he is a sinner, acknowledges that there is only one true God, and decides to turn from his old ways and pursue a relationship with Christ. He must also recognize that God sent His only son to die for us and that He rose again three days later.
Forgiveness is the act of releasing an offender of any wrong or hurt they may have caused you whether they deserve it or not. It is a decision to let go of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group of people. When we choose to forgive, we’re wiping the slate clean, cancelling a debt, or as I love to say, “Letting it go.” In the Bible, the Greek word for forgiveness literally means to “let it go.” This concept, “forgiveness,” is easier said than done. Majority of people find it very difficult to let go of offenses and hurts caused by others. I really do believe that most people desire to let it go, but we lack the knowledge of how to do it. As believers, we are instructed by God maintain an attitude of forgiveness.