A response to 5.16
Does God need a 'blood atonement'?
Introductory remark
Muslims often ask: "Why can't God forgive sin
without sacrifice?"
This is the wrong question! There is nothing God
can't do. To suggest that God is not omnipotent is blasphemy.
The question should be: "Why won't God forgive
sin without sacrifice?"
We will try to give a good answer to this good
question.
In his chapter on Blood Atonement, Mr. Al-Kadhi makes
a few statements that warrant further investigation before we get to the
main point:
-
Paul invented the doctrine of original sin, as foundation for the doctrine
of atonement.
-
He misquotes Jesus to prove that Jesus was just a man, and yet he could
forgive sin!
-
He quotes from the old Testament to prove that sacrifice is not necessary
for forgiving sin, but that good works are.
We will then take a look at what the Bible teaches about the Sin Offering,
and the Justness and Holiness of God, in order to clarify the need for
the sin offering.
Paul invented the doctrine of original sin, as foundation
for the doctrine of atonement.
To introduce the subject of original sin, I urge
serious readers to read the following
article: It was harvested from an Islamic web page and comments were
added to explain the Christian viewpoint.
Quotations from the book are in green.
Paul claimed that God Almighty had created mankind
inherently sinful and as inheritors of "the sin of Adam." He claimed that
this hereditary burden was so great that the creator
of all of the heavens and earth, and yes, the creator of the concepts of
sin and forgiveness themselves, could not
forgive this sin. This, in Paul's estimation, was beyond God's capabilities.
Let us consider these statements individually:
Paul claimed that God Almighty had created mankind
inherently sinful ...
Paul NEVER claimed that God created man inherently
sinful, in fact, he stressed the fact that sin came into this world because
of Adam's sin in paradise:
Romans 5:12
Wherefore, as by one man sin
entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon
all men, for that all have sinned:
1 Corinthians 15:
21 For since by man came death,
by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die,
even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
It is ironic that Mr. Al-Kadhi charges Paul with
something Christians have always said was wrong in Islam:
We all know from daily experience that a person
cannot live without sinning even if he chooses to be sinless. We are morally
weak, and even though we strive to be sinless we cannot attain it. I have
yet to meet the Muslim who denies this.
The Bible teaches that God created Mankind (Adam
and Eve) in His own moral Image (Genesis 1:26 And God said,
Let us make man in our image...). Adam and Eve were totally pure and holy.
But because of their sin, they were cast from Paradise and thus separated
from God. We, their offspring were born, not in Paradise (the Presence
of God), but separated from Him. Through Adam mankind has become separated
from God, and we lost our ability to be sinless.
Islam agrees that we are morally weak and prone
to sin, even if we so choose, but since Islam denies the doctrine of original
sin, we must conclude that we are this way because God created us this
way. Islam claims by implication that God created us weak! Since
"Inherently sinful" in my book equals "unable to remain sinless by nature"
I must conclude that Islam teaches that God created us inherently sinful.
So why does he blame Paul for teaching this??
One comment: We are Not "inheritors
of "the sin of Adam"" Adam's sin was
his alone, but we do live with the consequences of his sin, just like a
baby born with Aids lives with the consequences of her parents' sin.
This, in Paul's estimation, was beyond God's
capabilities.
Paul never said that anything was beyond God's
capability: I have the capability of killing my neighbor's cat. I won't
do it, because it is wrong. That does not make me incapable, but moral.
There is a big difference! More about this later!
So where does the doctrine of Original sin come
from? It was written down in the Taurat centuries before Paul was even
born:
Genesis 3:
17 And unto Adam he said, Because
thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree,
of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is
the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of
thy life;
18 Thorns also and thistles
shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
Because of his sin, the whole human race was doomed
to death:
19 In the sweat of thy face
shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast
thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
The reason: Separation from the Source of life, God:
23 Therefore the LORD God sent
him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was
taken.
24 So he drove out the man;
and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming
sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
To allege that Paul inserted this chapter into the
Taurat is really too much...
Did Jesus teach that we are inherently sinful?
Luke 5:
30 But their scribes and Pharisees
murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans
and sinners?
31 And Jesus answering said
unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are
sick.
32 I came not to call the righteous,
but sinners to repentance.
If we were not sinners, there would be no need for
him to come here at all!
The Christology of Al-Kadhi
So it stands to reason that what is easy for
Jesus (pbuh) is trivial and inconsequential for God Almighty Himself. Thus,
if Jesus (pub) can forgive sins with the utmost ease simply by uttering
the words "your sins are forgiven you,"
Please note: Jesus did not forgive this man of something
he did against Jesus as a person, but his sins, in general, in fact every
transgression of God's law that this man has ever committed. "...your sins...".
Wow! Mr. Al-Kadhi believes Jesus is just a normal
man like you and me, and for this normal mortal man it is easy, in fact
"trivial" to forgive sin! Mr. Al-Kadhi, since you believe the forgiveness
of sin is trivial and easy for a human, why don't you start forgiving other
peoples sin? Or you could start with yourself. at least you will have certainty
about your salvation then!
I don't mean to offend with this bit of sarcasm!
I just want to point out the obvious: To concede that Jesus has the power
to forgive sin is to concede to his Deity. Only God can forgive us our
sins!
Not even Mohammed could forgive sin. In fact, he had to ask forgiveness
for his own sin:
Sura 47:19
Know, therefore, that there is no god but Allah, and ask forgiveness
for thy fault, and for the men and women who believe: For Allah knows how
ye move about and how ye dwell in your homes.
The reason why Mr. Al-Kadhi gets into this trouble
is because he quotes scripture that does not fit his opinion out of context
to make it fit..
Example:
Finally, we know that Jesus (pub) gets
his power from God: "I can of mine own self
do nothing...,"
John 5:30
Now let us read this verse in it's context:
John 5:
7 But Jesus answered them, My Father
worketh hitherto, and I work.
18 Therefore the Jews sought
the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said
also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
The Bible clearly states that Jesus made himself
equal with God.
19 Then answered Jesus and
said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing
of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever
he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
Whatever Jesus sees the Father do, he does as well.
Jesus claimed to have existed before the creation of the world (John 17:5
And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which
I had with thee before the world was.) Therefore he saw God creating. Whatever
he sees God doing, he does likewise. That makes him the creator...
20 For the Father loveth the
Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him
greater works than these, that ye may marvel.
21 For as the Father raiseth
up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
22 For the Father judgeth no
man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
God has made Jesus the judge of the whole human race...
23 That all men should honour
the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the
Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
Men should honour the Son EVEN AS THEY HONOUR THE
FATHER! The same honour due to God is due to Jesus!
Shirk!!??
24 Verily, verily, I say unto
you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting
life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto
life.
25 Verily, verily, I say unto
you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice
of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
26 For as the Father hath
life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
Jesus claims here to be uncreated, like the Father.
27 And hath given him authority
to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
28 Marvel not at this: for
the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear
his voice,
29 And shall come forth; they
that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have
done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
30 I can of mine own self
do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek
not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
The verse quoted by Mr. Al-Kadhi, in context.
31 If I bear witness of myself,
my witness is not true.
32 There is another that beareth
witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is
true.
33 Ye sent unto John, and he
bare witness unto the truth.
34 But I receive not testimony
from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved.
35 He was a burning and a shining
light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.
36 But I have greater witness
than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish,
the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent
me.
37 And the Father himself,
which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his
voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
38 And ye have not his word
abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.
39 Search the scriptures; for
in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify
of me.
40 And ye will not come to
me, that ye might have life.
41 I receive not honour from
men.
42 But I know you, that ye
have not the love of God in you.
43 I am come in my Father's
name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him
ye will receive.
44 How can ye believe, which
receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from
God only?
45 Do not think that I will
accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in
whom ye trust.
46 For had ye believed Moses,
ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.
47 But if ye believe not his
writings, how shall ye believe my words?
Mr. Al-Kadhi, if you really believe that Jesus has
the power to forgive sin, as you say you do, then you should also believe
the other claims he makes. And the invitation he gives to you personally,
Misha'al....
40 And ye will not come
to me, that ye might have life.
Come to me, that you may have life....
What the Bible teaches about the sin offering.
The doctrine of Blood Atonement was fully developed in the Taurat
centuries before the birth of Paul.
Leviticus 17:
11 "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it
to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the
blood that maketh an atonement for the soul."
This verse is identical in the Jewish scriptures as well, and there is
no way Paul or anybody else could insert it in the Taurat in order to develop
a new doctrine!
The practical way in wich Blood Atonement was done was through the Sin
Offering:
Leviticus 5:
17 "And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden
to be done by the commandments of theLORD; though he wist it not,
yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.
18 And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, with
thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: and the priest
shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred
and wist it not, and it shall be forgiven him.
19 It is a trespass offering: he hath certainly trespassed against
the LORD. "
The sin offering was one of the main pillars of the deen of all the prophets
after Moses. It was the most important cultic ritual of their religion,
in exactly the same way as the Hajj, prayer, fasting and alms giving
are important in Islam. To give you an idea of how important it is in the
Bible, and in the culture of all the prophets after Moses, I have made
the following comparison with the most important cultic rituals of Islam:
The words "sin offering" appear one hundred and seven times in
the Taurat, Zabur and Prophetic writings. The words "tresspass offering"
appear thirty three times. That gives a total of one hundred and forty
times! (King James translation).
In the Jusuf Ali translation of the Qur'an, "pilgrimage" appears 7 times,
"alms" appears 3 times, "fast" or "fasting" appears 21 times, and "prayer"
appears 85 times.
Yet nobody can dispute the importance of say, the Hajj, in the religion
of Islam. In the same way it would be dishonest to dispute the importance
of the sin offering in the religion of the Old Testament.
Here is an example of how the sin offering was practised in the day
to day life of the believers of Old Testament times:
2 Chronicles 29
20 Then Hezekiah the king rose
early, and gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of
the LORD.
21 And they brought seven bullocks,
and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he goats, for a sin offering
for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And he commanded
the priests the sons of Aaron to offer them on the altar of the LORD.
22 So they killed the bullocks,
and the priests received the blood, and sprinkled it on the altar: likewise,
when they had killed the rams, they sprinkled the blood upon the altar:
they killed also the lambs, and they sprinkled the blood upon the altar.
23 And they brought forth the
he goats for the sin offering before the king and the congregation;
and they laid their hands upon them:
24 And the priests killed them,
and they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, to make
an atonement for all Israel: for the king commanded that the burnt
offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel.
The meaning of the sin offering.
Leviticus 5:
17 "And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden
to be done by the commandments of theLORD; though he wist it not,
yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.
18 And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, with
thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: and the priest
shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred
and wist it not, and it shall be forgiven him.
19 It is a trespass offering: he hath certainly trespassed against
the LORD. "
1) God says that there is no escape from the guilt of sin:
"... he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity. "
We will say more later on why this is so. For the moment you may just accept
it for arguments sake.
2) Because God loves us, He provided a way for the guilt to be removed.
Please take note: The way He provides, according to this verse,
is not that the sinner should do good works or prove himself in any way
worthy of forgiveness, but to bring a sacrifice.
This implies something very important: Good deeds, or even good
intentions cannot remove the guilt of sin, because then the sin offering
would have been totally unnecessary!
The reason for this is simple: The law of God demands complete obedience
to the law. Even though it is in theory possible to go to heaven becaused
you have never sinned, the harsh reality is that since Adam was cast from
paradise, no human being has ever been without sin. (Except one...) There
can be no salvation through keeping the law simply because no one can keep
the law!
3) The process of atonement through sin offering is initiated by God.
It is an act of God. In this sense, there is absolutely no cost involved
for the sinner.
The only prerequisites for forgiveness of sin by sin offering are:
-
You must realise that you are a sinner and in need of atonement. Somebody
who believes that he is sinless or can save himself by good works will
not feel the need for atonement, and therefore would not bring the offering.
Somebody who does not realise or refuses to accept that he is ill will
not visit the hospital, and therefore will not be cured. This is why so
much emphasis is laid in the Bible on confession of sin.
-
You must believe and trust God when He says that He will forgive your
sin. In the Old Testament, the act of bringing an animal to slaughter
was the external sign of this faith.
4)The symbolism of the sacrifice is important, and the following verse
gives an important clue:
Leviticus 16:
21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of
the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children
of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them
upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit
man into the wilderness:
22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities
unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.
The ritual of the scapegoat is very similar in function to that of the
sin offering, here it is stated explicitly that the sin of the people is
transferred to the goat: The people become blameless and the goat becomes
the sinner.
It is very clear that the sacrificial animal bears the punishment of
the sinner's sin in his place. The life of the sinner is substituted
for that of the sacrificial animal!
It is extremely important to realize that it is not the ritual that
saves the sinner, (we do not believe in magic) but that it is God
who forgives the sinner freely, out of loving grace, based on the symbolism
of the ritual. Since the life of an animal can never pay for the life of
a human being, the ritual is a symbol of something else: If you read Isaiah
53, you will see that the Messiah would be the Perfect Sin Offering.
5) The outcome of this meeting between sinner and God is allways absolutely
certain:
"... and it shall be forgiven him."
This is the word of God, it cannot be otherwise! The redeemed sinner has
complete certainty of salvation! This is in stark contrast to Islam according
to which one can never know.
6) The result of this free forgiveness is always the conversion
of the sinner. Being confronted with his own sin, and then with the unimagineable
love and mercy of God will bring the redeemed to enter into a relationship
of love with his Redeemer. The seperation between man and God that happened
when Adam sinned in Paradise is removed. Turning to God to accept His forgiveness
always means turning away from sin! Living in the grace of the Blood
Atonement, man becomes what God had always intended Him to be: Holy.
If the life of the person does not reflect this new relationship with
God it is safe to say that his faith was not real: The sacrifice was not
brought because he wanted to be cleansed of his sin, but for some selfish
reason. In the same manner one cannot bring the sacrifice and try
to earn your salvation by being "good". This would nullify the whole point
of the sacrifice!
Mr. Al-Kadhi's quotations from the old Testament to
"prove" that blood atonement is not needed for the forgiving of sin.
I have to stress the point, that the sin offering had the same prominence
in the cultic life of Israel that the Shahada, Saum, Salaat, Zakaat, and
Hajj has in Islam today. I will not adress every one of the quotations,
and the following one I will use to illustrate my point further. The verse
in green is the one quoted.
Isaiah 43:
21 This people have I formed for
myself; they shall shew forth my praise.
In verse 21 God says that He created Israel, and the reason why He did
it: "...they shall shew forth my praise."
22 But thou hast not called
upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.
But Israel was in a state of rebellion, they ignored God.
23 Thou hast not brought me
the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured me
with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering,
nor wearied thee with incense.
God reproaches them because after they sinned, they did not bring the sin
offering so that they could be forgiven.
24 Thou hast bought me no sweet
cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices:
but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with
thine iniquities.
25 I,
even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and
will not remember thy sins.
26 Put me in remembrance: let
us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.
It is ironic that Mr. Al-Kadhi should use this verse
to prove his point, while in reality it proves exactly the opposite: In
verse 25 God gives the reason why He forgives sins. Not because of good
works, good intentions, or anything done by the sinner, but for His
own sake!!!
Misha'al, this is what God tells you in this verse:
I forgive you your sin not because of who you are, but because of who I
am. Because I love you more than you can ever imagine. And even though
you can never deserve My Love or forgiveness, I offer it to you freely
"...for mine own sake..."!
So come and accept it, so that you may be justified.
(Verse 26)
This verse is an open invitation to Israel of
the Old Testament, and everybody who reads it today to accept to unconditional
love and forgiveness that God offers on the basis of the sin offering!
Jeremiah 36:3
"It may be that the house of Judah will
hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return
every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their
sin."
Isaiah 55:7
"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous
man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy
upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."
Psalm 32:5
"I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity
have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD;
and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah."
Returning to God and confessing your sin is all that is needed to
receive the forgiveness! Turn from your evil way, turn to God. Please note:
in every case forgiveness is guaranteed! The reason why it is guaranteed
is because it is not based on the good works of the sinner, but as you
saw in the scripture above, on the caracter of God. To say that the blood
atonement does not play a roll just because it is not mentioned in
these specific verses is ridiculous: The whole religious cult revolved
around the blood atonement!
In the following verses it may seem as if God does not want the sacrifice.
If you read carefully, you will see that He did not want the sacrifices
because they were brought for the wrong reasons! There was no acknowledgement
of sin, no repentance and no real plea for forgiveness. The acts were hipocritical:
they were empty ritual!
Isaiah 1:11-18
"To what purpose [is] the multitude of your sacrifices
unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of
rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight
not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come
to
appear before me, who hath required this at your
hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense
is an
abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths,
the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; [it is] iniquity(sin),
even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my
soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear [them]. And
when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when
ye make many
prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full
of blood. Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings
from
before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to
do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead
for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together,
saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as
white as snow; though they be red like crimson,
they shall be as wool."
And yet the invitation remains: "Come now,
and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall
be as wool"
Has Islam ever taught that one can be that
certain of forgiveness of sin?
The above quotation is from the prophet Isaiah,
so let us have a quick look ar what this same prophet taught about the
sin offering, or blood atonement:
Isaiah 53:
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows:
yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he
was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon
him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned
every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity
of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he
opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as
a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and
who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of
the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with
the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any
deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath
put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin,
he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the
LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall
be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many;
for he shall bear their iniquities.
Did Jesus teach the doctrine of Blood Atonement?
The night before his crucifixion, Jesus celebrated the passover with
his disciples. This is what he told them:
Matthew 26:
26 "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and
brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my
body.
27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying,
Drink ye all of it;
28 For this is my blood of the new testament (or covenant), which is
shed for many for the remission of sins.
The next day Jesus was crucified, died, was buried and rose from death
on the third day.
So, why won't God forgive sin
without sacrifice?
The answer consists of two parts:
The Holiness of God
God is holy.
The word means to be totally, utterly pure.
Psalm 99:5
-
Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool;
for he is holy
Psalm 14:17
-
The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all
his works.
Since God is Holy, he will not accept anything in his presence wich will
defile His holiness. We are told to be holy (totally pure, and without
sin), because God is holy.
Leviticus 11:
-
44 "For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify
yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile
yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
-
45 For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of
Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy."
Leviticus 19:2
-
"Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel,
and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy."
Leviticus 20:7
-
"Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am
the LORD your God."
Leviticus 20:26
-
"And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and
have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine."
Deuteronomy 23:14
-
"For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp,
to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall
thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from
thee. "
In the old Testament, the whole of the ritual law was about purification.
No one could enter into the Holiest of Holies (the innermost part of the
temple that symbolized the presence of God) without first undergoing ritual
purification. If anybody came there in a ritually impure state, he died.
People died after accidentally touching the arc of the covenant.
God commanded in the old Testament that people should be ritually purified
with blood: Leviticus 17:11 "For the life of the flesh is in
the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement
for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul."
Some of this is still present in Islamic ritual today: One must do a ritual
wash before entering a Mosque to pray, one is not allowed to eat ritually
unclean food.
If we cannot take any unclean food into our body, or do something that
would make us ritually unpure, how can God, who is the Holiest of all,
take anything that is unpure in his presence?
Is hell so much a punishment as just the logical end of our unholiness?
Hell is, after all, nothing other than total seperation from God. Our sin
seperates us from God.
See how the great prophet of God, Isaiah, experienced the Holiness of God:
Isaiah 6:
-
1 " In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting
upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
-
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with
twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with
twain he did fly.
-
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is
the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
-
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him
that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
-
5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man
of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips:
for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
This is the reaction of every sinner who comes face to face with the Holiness
of God.
If you read the next verse, you will see that Isaiah could not make himself
holy, God did it for him.
The first book of the Bible is about how mankind became unholy, and got
seperated from God. The rest of the Bible is about how God made us holy
again, so that we may enter into His presence again.
Jesus told the following story:
Luke 18:
-
10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee,
and the other a publican.
-
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I
thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers,
or even as this publican.
-
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
-
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so
much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be
merciful to me a sinner.
-
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather
than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and
he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."
The publican saw the Holiness of God, and knew his own unholiness. The
pharisee thought that he had made himself holy by keeping rituals;
he was rather proud of himself!
The publican knew he was ill, and accepted God's cure, the Pharisee didn't
even know he was ill.
The
Justness of God
I think the holiness is more important, since (on a philosophical
level anyway) being just is a consequence of being holy, and not the other
way around.
God is portrayed right through the history as the supreme Law Giver. Right
after he created mankind he gave them the first law:
Genesis 2:
16" And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree
of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou
shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt
surely die.
The whole Bible bears witness to to justness of God:
Deuteronomy 32:
-
1 Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth,
the words of my mouth.
-
2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil
as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers
upon the grass:
-
3 Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness
unto our God.
-
4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are
just: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
Part of God's law states what the penalty for breaking the law is:
-
"....for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die".
Romans 6:23
-
"For the wages of sin is death..."
"Death" here means spiritual death, complete seperation from God, Hell.
The reason why this must be so, is as we have seen before, God's holiness.
What would you think of a government that breaks its own law? Or a policeman
that does not honour the law he is supposed to enforce?
God's law states that the punishment for breaking the law is hell. If
God would not enforce this, he would break his own law!
We would not condone a secular governement that breaks it's own law!
Job 4:17
-
"Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than
his maker?"
The idea of God breaking his own law is not tolerated at all in the Bible,
and any thinking person should reject any such idea as blasphemy.
Couldn't He just look the other way...
Since He is almighty, He could. But since He is Holy and Just, He won't.
The law of God demands justice: If you break the law, the prescribed penalty
is death.
The love of God provides the sacrifice to pay the penalty you can not pay,
for you:
Collossians 2:
3 When you were dead in your sins, and in the uncircumcision
of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all
our sins,
14 having cancelled the written code, with all its regulations that
was against us and that stood opposed to us: he took it away, nailing it
to the cross.
God nailed the letter of indictment against us to the cross of Jesus Christ!
Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 5:10
For if, when we were enemies (of God), we were reconciled to God
by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall
be saved by his life.
May you too know the peace of being reconciled to God...
The Rebuttal to "What Did Jesus Really Say?"
Answering Islam Home Page