I am so grateful that the Creator of the universe is a good and forgiving God. I shudder to think what the world would have been like if God were cruel, unforgiving and vindictive (like many pastors are today). I thank God for His good character and righteousness. I love God!
In our text passage of inspired Scripture from the Old Testament book of Isaiah, penned 700 years before Christ came to earth, God promises to reason with us. This is an invitation from God to talk things out with Him. I cherish that promise. Dear reader, your Creator can be reasoned with. He is a fair, kind, loving and sensible God.
The Lord has already laid everything out for you in simple terms. God the Father sent His only begotten (biological) Son into the world 2,000 years ago to die on a cross to pay your debt of sin, and mine. The price has been paid in full by Jesus' blood. 1st Peter 1:18-19, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” Jesus paid a debt He did not owe, because you and I owed a debt we could not pay.
I am surprised how many people that I witness to with the Gospel, dismiss it as tomfoolery and nonsense. What saith the Scripture? 1st Corinthians 1:18, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” The Gospel is precious to me, because I believe it, relying upon Jesus' death on the cross, burial and physical resurrection from the dead the third day, as my only hope for Heaven. God promises to forgive anyone's sins who trusts in His only begotten Son, Jesus.
We have a unique God that forgives iniquities, which no other God does. Micah 7:18, “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.” In the Muslim religion you do your best and hope that you make it. Allah is said to be capricious. That is, Allah is unpredictable, who knows what he may do.
You see, in Islam they have a very different mindset than we do in Christianity. In the Christian religion, God offers us a completely free deal. It is totally free for us because Christ paid for it with His life in Calvary's cross. The innocent sinless Son of God sacrificed His life on the cross, so that He could freely offer us forgiveness of sins and eternal life as a gift, just for the taking, no strings attached. But in Islam it doesn't work that way. Salvation is not a gift in Islam, you must work hard to earn it. And even then, you cannot know 100% that you are saved.
I once worked with a devout Muslim named Ed 25 years ago. Ed would bring his carpet to work, lay it down on the ground in the hallway out of sight from coworkers, face Mecca in Saudi Arabi, and pray 5 times a day in cycle with the moon. That is why the Islamic symbol is a crescent moon on their flag. Muhammad worshipped the moon.
One day I shared the Gospel with Ed, but I might as well have been talking to one of the machines we serviced. When I told Ed that I know 100% that I am going to Heaven, he was greatly offended. I still remember his response. He said, “How arrogant! How prideful you are to say that you 'know' you are going to Heaven. You had better do your best and hope that you make it!” In Ed's corrupt mind, he has been taught since childhood that Heaven must be earned by good works, serving Allah, and following a bunch of burdensome rituals.
I asked Ed if he believed urinating on himself would sent him to Hell. His sad response was, “You got that right!” You see, in their holy (unholy) book the Hadith, Muslims are taught that cleanliness is required to be saved. They must wipe them self after using the restroom with their left hand. Also, Muslims are prohibited from facing directly towards the Qibla (the direction of Mecca) or having it directly behind them while using the toilet.
Instead, they must position themselves slightly to the right or left to avoid facing it directly. Yes, you read right, Muslims are required in their false religion to sit sideways on the toilet. Which also means they must bring a compass with them into any toilet, to know which direction faces Mecca. Can you image such superstition? Islam is a religion of utter bondage and misery.
I am reminded of Jesus' precious words in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
In sharp contrast to Islam, in God's simple plan of salvation you simply come by faith (taking God at His written Word) as you are, as a wretched guilty sinner (Romans 3:19-20); you receive Christ's sacrifice on Calvary's cross 2,000 years ago as full payment for your sins, believing that Jesus died, was buried, but then miraculously resurrected from the dead the third day. This is the only “gospel” according to 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 and Galatians 1:6-8.
When you place your trust in that Gospel (Good News, Glad Tidings) as a needy sinner, God reads your mind and works the supernatural miracle of the new birth (John 1:12-13). That is, you are born again by the Holy Spirit of God in response to your faith in the Word of God (1st Peter 1:23). Getting to Heaven is that simple, easy and free. Please don't let anybody inspired by Satan tell you something different. Islam is of the Devil.
