The Reason He Left Islam for Jesus

Please discover the powerful reason a young former Muslim man turned to Jesus from Islam. 

From Buddhism to Jesus

A surfer saved: He was attracted to Buddhism and went in search of the light. The light of the world, Jesus, found him. 

Jesus is the only Way

In this short article, we want to share these brief simple truths with you.

1. Jesus is the only mediator between God and humans (Hebrews 9:15).
2. Christ’s priesthood removes need for human priesthood (Hebrews 7:23-25)
3. Salvation is by faith alone, not by rituals, membership or works (Ephesians 2:8).

Only mediator
A mediator is one who comes between two separated parties to bring about reconciliation. In our case we were separated from God by our sins (Isaiah 59, Romans 3:23). Jesus came to bring about a restoration of this relationship, by paying the penalty of our sins.

Hebrews 9:15 “Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.”

Okay, so Jesus is the mediator between God and man. Does this mean he is the only mediator? Well, Jesus makes this explicit.

John 14:6-7 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.””

There is no other way to the Father, except by Jesus. If we know Jesus, we know the Father also. If we don’t know Jesus, we don’t know the Father. Jesus is the only way.

Only priest
Since Jesus is the only mediator, is there any need for another priest aside from him? After all, the Old Testament had many priests? This is answered compellingly by the Bible in Hebrews.

Hebrews 7:23 “The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

So the Bible makes it clear. The Old Testament Priests were many in number because they were mortal humans. But the New Testament priesthood is a divine priesthood. Since Jesus does not die, since he is everywhere, and since he always lives making intercession, we don’t need another priest. The Greek word for antichrist in John’s Epistle, means “anti” – in the place of “Christ” – messiah. In other words, if someone claims to be in the place of Christ, be careful!

Because God himself intercedes for us, we don’t need human intercessors, saints or popes. If God is for us, who can be against us?

Only by faith in Jesus
“Surely I need some kind of work, ritual or membership to be saved?” No, the Bible makes it clear that Salvation is obtained through faith alone!

Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Jesus says that all who come to him will be saved. Turn to him; trust in Him; turn from sin, self and pride. He has paid all the price and lives for us, because after death, he rose again, making a way to life. Call on him today.

10 Reasons Jesus Came to Die

(John Piper – used under general permission) All other articles are original to this blog, however this following content was well worth the republication.

Why did Jesus Christ suffer and die? I believe that is the most important question of the twenty-first century. Here are ten answers from the Bible.

Jesus came to die…

#10) To destroy hostility between races

The suspicion, prejudice, and demeaning attitudes between Jews and non-Jews in Bible times were as serious as the racial, ethnic, and national hostilities today. Jesus died to create a whole new way for races to be reconciled: he “has broken down…the dividing wall of hostility…making peace…through the cross” (Ephesians 2:14-16).

It is impossible to build lasting unity among races by saying that all religions can come together as equally valid. God sent his Son into the world as the only means of saving sinners and reconciling races. Only as the races find this reconciliation will they love and enjoy each other.

#9) To give marriage its deepest meaning

God’s design was never for marriages to be miserable, yet many are. That’s what sin does…it makes us treat each other badly. Jesus died to change that. He knew that his suffering would make the deepest meaning of marriage plain. That’s why the Bible says, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25).

God’s design for marriage is for a husband to love his wife the way Christ loves his people, and for the wife to respond the way Christ’s people should. This kind of love is possible because Christ died for both husband and wife.

#8) To absorb the wrath of God

God’s law demanded, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). But we have all loved other things more. This is what sin is—dishonoring God by preferring other things over him, and acting on those preferences.

The seriousness of an insult rises with the dignity of the one insulted. Since our sin is against the Ruler of the Universe, “the wages of [our] sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Not to punish it would be unjust. So God sent his own Son, Jesus, to divert sin’s punishment from us to himself. God “loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation”—the wrath-absorbing substitute—“for our sins” (1 John 4:10).

Then God publicly endorsed Christ’s accomplishment by raising him from the dead, proving the success of his suffering and death.

#7) So that we would escape the curse of the law

There was no escape from the curse of God’s law. It was just; we were guilty. There was only one way to be free: someone must pay the penalty. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13).

The law’s demands have been fulfilled by Christ’s perfect law-keeping, its penalty fully paid by his death. This is why the Bible teaches that getting right with God is not based on law-keeping: “A person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 2:16). Our only hope is having the blood and righteousness of Christ credited to our account.

#6) To reconcile us to God

The reconciliation that needs to happen between man and God goes both ways. God’s first act in reconciling us to himself was to remove the obstacle that separated him from us—the guilt of our sin. He took the steps we could not take to remove his own judgment by sending Jesus to suffer in our place: “While we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son” (Romans 5:10). Reconciliation from our side is simply to receive what God has already done, the way we receive an infinitely valuable gift.

#5) To show God’s love for sinners

The measure of God’s love is shown by the degree of his sacrifice in saving us from the penalty of our sins: “he gave his only Son” (John 3:16). When we add the horrific crucifixion that Christ endured, it becomes clear that the sacrifice the Father and the Son made to save us was indescribably great!

The measure of his love increases still more when we consider the degree of our unworthiness. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Our debt is so great, only a divine sacrifice could pay it.

#4) To show Jesus’ own love for us

The death of Christ is also the supreme expression that he “loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). It is my sin that cuts me off from God. All I can do is plead for mercy.

I see Christ suffering and dying “to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). And I ask, am I among the “many”? And I hear the answer, “Whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Jesus paid the highest price possible to give me—personally—the greatest gift possible.

#3) To take away our condemnation

The great conclusion to the suffering and death of Christ is this: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). To be “in Christ” means to be in relationship to him by faith. Christ becomes our punishment (which we don’t have to bear) and our worth before God (which we cannot earn).

The death of Christ secures freedom from condemnation for those who believe that Christ has served their death sentence. It is as sure that they cannot be condemned as it is sure that Christ died!

#2) To bring us to God

“Gospel” means “good news,” and it all ends in one thing: God himself. The gospel is the good news that at the cost of his Son’s life, God has done everything necessary to captivate us with what will make us eternally and ever-increasingly happy—namely, himself. “Christ…suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18).

#1) To give eternal life to all who believe on Him

Jesus made it plain that rejecting the eternal life he offered would result in the misery of eternity in hell: “Whoever does not believe is condemned already….the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:18, 36).

But for those who trust Christ, the best is yet to come. “No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). We will see the all-satisfying glory of God. “This is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3).

For all these reasons and more, Christ suffered and died. Why would you not embrace him as your Savior from sin and judgment, and live with God eternally?

If you are moved to embrace God’s Son in this way, tell God in words like these:

Dear God, I’m convinced that Jesus suffered and died for my sins. I gratefully trust in him now as my Lord and my precious Treasure and the only way I’ll ever receive your forgiveness and your promise of eternal life. Amen.

One Flesh

We see that in God’s view wives adorn themselves “by submitting to their own husbands” (1 Peter 3:5). This was done by Sarah, who adorned herself in God’s eyes by submission to her husband, Abraham (1 Peter 3:6). Sarah was motivated by her “hope in the Lord”. Now, Paul states that this is the mystery (Ephesians 5:31,32). It is profound! Of course a mystery is concealed in the Old Testament and revealed in the New Testament. The revelation is this; that God is making for His own Word a bride who adorns herself in submission to Him.

Ephesians 5:31,32 says,   “”Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”    This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.”

The Word became flesh (John 1:14). The Word left His former Glory, became one flesh with His bride. He took her flesh, her body, and made it His own. Then, the Word “gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). The Word purchased His Bride with his own life-giving blood. And in His death passed an inheritance on to her of eternal life (Hebrews 9:17).

Now He loves us, and we wait for Him. His return will be soon. Preparing ourselves, adorning ourselves and beautifying ourselves for Him. Our adorning is obedience. And we wait, knowing that our hope is going to be sight when we see Him.

Response to Jesus’ Sacrifice

What is the best kind of friend anyone ever had? One who laid their life down for you. Jesus laid his life down for us, even when we didn’t know him. He died for us to make us his friends, to save us from sin and death, and to give us life eternal.

Life beyond death’s grasp

100% of those who live will come to the end of their lives. This is because we are separated from our Life Giver. So Jesus came to earth and died for us to break the power of death and to make a path through the shadow of death into eternity.

If we die with Jesus, we will live forever with him.

Life for God

Jesus not only died to give us eternal life, but also to reclaim us from that thing which brings death, which is sin (Romans 6:23).

Thus, we intend to live free of sin, because “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:9)

We now live for God, no longer for sin.

Trust in Jesus’ work on the cross and in the resurrection. Live for Him. Read your Bible, and pray daily. Seek God while He is calling you.

The Reward

Better little with righteousness

It’s better to be hungry and yet full of righteousness than to be full on food yet completely devoid of righteousness. It is written, “for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” (Psalm 1:6).

Yet righteousness only comes by faith (Romans 1:17). So faith is needed, and it is described below in Hebrews 11, with this example of the faith of Moses.

By faith, seeking a reward

Moses wasn’t what we might call a man of the moment, because he didn’t care about temporal pleasure. He thought big! Like, eternity big. Far beyond this life there would be a reward. He thought about a reward that was to come from this life’s labours.

Knowing God

The reward Moses sought, and the one we can seek, is knowing God. In fact, although we might like a great many things, there is a beautiful reward from knowing the One who made all good things. So let’s enjoy Him, our God who gives all things.

Let’s shift from our fascination with the gift, to enjoy the Giver of good. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James).

In fact Jesus clarifies. “And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5)

In the beatitudes (Matt5:6), Jesus said blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

God is our righteousness (1 Corinthians 5:21). By faith in Him, we are blessed with His righteousness. The reward is knowing God.

The LORD does not forget the afflicted’s cry

Run

One flesh