Rebuttal to Sam Shamoun’s article
A Series of Answers to Common Questions
By
He wrote:
3.
THE PLAN OF SALVATION
Muslim Argument:
Jesus' death is a violation of the clear OT commands prohibiting human sacrifices. Since
Jesus was also under the Law (Cf. Gal. 4:4), his death
would be an express violation of the commands of God which did not allow for humans to be
put to death, only animals.
Christian
Reponse:
Actually, there
is no express command forbidding adult human sacrifices. What is forbidden is the
sacrifice of children as a means of appeasing the pagan gods. (Cf.
Lev. 18:21, 20:2-5; Deut. 12:31, 18:10; 2 Kings 16:3, 17:31, 21:6, 23:10; Jer. 7:31, 32:35; Ezek. 20:31) This is not to imply that the
Bible allows for adult sacrifices, but rather to point out what is actually stated within
inspired Scripture itself.
Secondly, the
reason why these pagan rituals were abhorrent to God is because it not only entailed idol
worship which was an abomination all by itself, but also included the death of innocent
lives:
"They
did not destroy the peoples as the Lord had commanded them, but they mingled with the
nations and adopted their customs. They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to
them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and
daughters whom they sacrificed to the idols of
"...
for they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. They committed
adultery with their idols; they even sacrificed
their children, whom they bore to me, as food for them." Ezek. 23:37
Again, the
"blood on their hands" is linked with
"For
they have forsaken me and made this place of foreign gods; they have burned sacrifices in it to gods that
neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of
However, the
Mosaic Law did allow for the guilty to be put to death if they intentionally broke an
express command which carried with it the death sentence. (Cf.
Ex. 31:14-17; Deut.19:11-13)
Since Jesus
"became sin for us" (cf. 2 Cor.
To summarize, the
Holy Bible prohibits the death of innocent children who committed no wrong. Since Jesus
was neither a child nor innocent after taking our sins, his death did not violate an
express command.
Thirdly, Jesus
willingly died in order that others might live. (Cf. Mark 10:45;
John 10:17-18) We often consider individuals who sacrifice their lives for others
as heroes, i.e. a person who takes a bullet in order to save his friend or soldiers who
die to protect their country etc. In the same manner, Jesus' willingness to die on the
cross was the greatest display of his unconditional love for others, sparing them from the
eternal wrath of God in hell.
Finally, God
willed for Jesus to be the final and perfect atoning sacrifice, being "the Lamb of
God who takes away the sin of the world." (Cf. John 1:29)
God is sovereign and can make such decisions without anyone holding him accountable for
it. Man answers to God, God answers to no one.
My Response:
Let
me quote something very interesting to what Shamoun said which
back fires against him and every Christian:
Secondly, the
reason why these pagan rituals were abhorrent to God is because it not only entailed idol
worship which was an abomination all by itself, but also included the death of innocent lives.
Very
interesting indeed. According to
you and every Christian Jesus was an innocent and sinless man, yet he was put to death for
the sins of others. Basically the core of Christian doctrine is that an innocent man was
sacrificed and killed for other people's sin, no difference than human pagan sacrifices of
innocent people! So Shamoun has to eat his own words, so does
every other Christian. The fact is that the sacrifice of Jesus is no different than any
other pagan ritual sacrifice. Jesus was an innocent man according to you, yet he died for
something he did not do. Where is the justice in that? The fact is that there is no
justice in that and it makes no sense and is a joke and is no difference than human pagan
sacrifices.
Shamoun
then goes on to say: his
death, judicially speaking, fell under the bounds of the Law since he was guilty after
that point. Therefore, Jesus' death from a legal standpoint was morally acceptable since
his purpose in coming to this world was to take upon himself the punishment we deserved
because of our sins.
Amusing
indeed! So it was morally acceptable that Jesus an innocent man who did
nothing wrong according to you, died for something he did not do and died for
something you did.
No
wonder why
You
would like to think that Jesus would at least not go through pain or die a nice painless
death for taking our sins upon himself and becoming sin for us, but no the Father still
looks at him as a guilty sinner worthy of torture and pain and a crucifixion. Very fair
indeed, even when Jesus does something honourable he still gets treated very badly, still
no justice! So either way round there is no justice at the end, Jesus an innocent man died
for your crime, there is no justice in that and there is no difference between the pagan
human sacrifices of innocent people.
Secondly
Jesus was still put through a hell of a lot of pain for taking your sins and becoming sin
for you, one would think the Father would be nicer to him for doing such an honourable
thing, but yet the Father still looks down on him as a sinner and punishes him very badly,
no justice in that at all.
As
for Shamoun's third point of Jesus willing to sacrifice
himself. This is very illogical. Shamoun claims it is like
someone who takes a bullet for someone else or becoming a hero etc. However so why does
Jesus need to go through such pain and die! He is God and is within the Godhead and the
Father knows Jesus very well and could have definitely just given him the easy way out.
Basically there is no reason why Jesus had to go through pain or suffering as a person
would when he takes a bullet for some one else. People who sacrifice themselves to help
others do have to go through pain and suffering most of the times. However Jesus is a
totally different case, HE IS GOD AND A MEMBER OF THE GOD-HEAD WHO THE FATHER KNOWS WELL,
so why wouldn’t the Father help Jesus out and cause him no pain? This actually show's
the Father probably enjoyed hurting Jesus and causing him to suffer for some one else's
crime. Another point I must ask is was it the Father's will that Jesus took on our sins?
Or was it Jesus' own will? As Jesus said he does not his own will but his Father's will.
It indeed was the Father's will that Jesus do such a thing, so Jesus saying he did it on
his own accord is a lie and an invention, Jesus himself begged to be saved and did not
want to die:
http://www.answering-christianity.com/jesus_hypocrite.htm
He wrote:
Muslim Argument:
Why was it necessary for God to send his eternal Son to die for sinners.
Couldn't God have simply forgiven sinners instead of having his Son murdered?
Christian
Reponse:
We must first point out that God did not murder his Son. It was the will of The Father,
Son, and the Holy Spirit that the Son should lay his life down for sinners. This was to
demonstrate both God's holiness and infinite love for man:
"For
even the Son did not come to be served, but to serve, and lay his life down as a RANSOM for many." Mark
"I
am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live
forever. THIS BREAD IS MY FLESH WHICH I WILL GIVE
FOR THE LIFE OF THE WORLD." John
"I
am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me- just as the Father knows me
and I know the Father- AND I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR
THE SHEEP... The reason my Father loves me
is that I LAY DOWN MY LIFE- ONLY TO TAKE IT UP
AGAIN. NO ONE TAKES IT FROM ME, BUT I LAY IT DOWN OF MY OWN ACCORD..." John 10:14-15, 17-18a NIV
"God
presented him (Jesus) as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in
his forbearance he had left sins unpunished- he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time,
so as to be just and the one who justifies those who
have faith in Jesus." Rom. 3:25-26 NIV
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Rom.5:8
NIV
Christ willingly
laid down his life in order that others might live. We often look up to and admire men who
willingly give up their lives to defend either their families or country. Their deaths are
considered heroic and a demonstration of unconditional love, not murder or suicide. Hence,
Jesus' willingness to die for unworthy sinners is the greatest display of God's infinite
and unconditional love for fallen humanity.
As Scripture
indicates, Christ's death was necessary in order to satisfy God's infinite holiness and
justice. For sin to be forgiven, a sacrifice needed to be made in order for God to
maintain his holiness. Otherwise, God's justice and holiness would be severely
compromised. The Bible indicates that God cannot dwell in the presence of sin without
incurring his wrath:
"For
you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil will not sojourn with you. The boastful
will not stand before your eyes; you hate evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the
LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful." Psalm 5:4-6
NRSV
"Your
eyes are too pure to behold evil, and you cannot look on wrongdoing..." Habakkuk
This is precisely
why God cannot let sin go unpunished, since his holiness will not allow it to continue. He
will not acquit the sinner without there being a payment for the crimes committed:
"Keep
far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and those in the right, for I will not acquit the guilty." Exodus 23:7 NRSV
God also does not
take pleasure in the death of any soul, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live.
(Cf. Ezek. 33:11; 2 Pet. 3:9)
Therefore, in
order for God to pardon repentant sinners while remaining holy and just, someone had to
take the consequences of sin which entailed physical and spiritual death. By death is
meant the soul separating from the body in the physical sense, with the body returning to
the dust. And in the spiritual sense it refers to broken communion with God:
"And
to the man he said, `Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten
of the tree about which I commanded you, "You shall not eat of it," cursed it is
the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns
and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By
the sweat of your face you shall eat the bread until
you return to the ground, for out of it you were
taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall
return'." Genesis 3:17-19 NRSV
"Rather,
your iniquities have been barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his
face from you so that he does not hear." Isa. 59:2 NRSV
The sacrifice had
to be made by one who had infinite value since man's value is finite and cannot atone for
all of mankind's sin:
"Truly
no ransom avails for one's life, there is no price one can give
to God for it. For the ransom of life is costly, and can never suffice that one should
live on forever and never see the grave." Psalm 49:7-9 NRSV
This is precisely
why God had to come down and ransom man, since only God is infinite in value:
"But
God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol for he will
receive me." Psalm 49:15 NRSV
But in order for
God to pay the price of sin fully and satisfy his infinite holiness he had to take on a
human nature. As was noted, part of the consequence of sin is that the soul of man
separates from his body as the flesh returns to the dust. God is Spirit (John
This nature also
had to be free from the stain of original sin, since all who are descended from the first
man inherit a corrupt human nature. (Cf.
Therefore, the Savior had to be born of a virgin whose womb would be made holy in
order for him to be without sin:
"And
Mary said to the angel, `How can this be since I have no husband?' And the angel said to
her, `The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the most high will overshadow
you; therefore the child to be born will be called
holy, the Son of God.' "
Luke 1:34-35 RSV
Had he not been
born supernaturally by God's Holy Spirit, he would have then needed a savior
to free him from sin.
The cross becomes
necessary for God to demonstrate both his love and holiness. If God were to simply forgive
without demanding payment for sin, his holiness would have been less than his love. On the
other hand, if God were to just punish without allowing the possibility of reconciliation
and forgiveness than his love would have been severely compromised. Either way, God would
be less than perfect since he would be greater in one of his qualities, and less than
perfect in the other.
Hence, Jesus'
death on the cross clearly demonstrates both God's perfect holiness and his infinite love
for man. No other religion is able to claim this perfect balance for their deities.
My Response:
To
start off, it was not Jesus' will to die. That is a joke and a lie. Jesus cried and begged
to be saved. Jesus himself said and did whatever the Father willed him to do, not what he
willed to do. So he did not lay down his life on his own accord and will (*)(*).
Secondly
you basically admit that a sacrifice had to be made to make up for the sins, what was that
sacrifice? An innocent man who did no crime? There is no difference between this sacrifice
and those pagan sacrifices of innocent humans. The Father did indeed murder his son. He
was in control of everything and looked down on Jesus as a sinner so put him through the
punishment of a sinner as Shamoun himself stated earlier. So
yes the Father did murder Jesus. Let me quote something Shamoun
said: The cross becomes necessary
for God to demonstrate both his love and holiness. If God were to simply forgive without
demanding payment for sin, his holiness would have been less than his love.
Show
his love? Well I don’t want any of your God's love. If love to you is condemning an
innocent man for the sins of others then I must say you need some help in your logic. As
for God forgiving sins without payment for the sin, is the payment of sin the death of an
innocent man? This sound's no different than a mob boss. Why does payment of sin have to
be the death of an innocent man? No justice at all. As for Shamoun
trying to make a point of Jesus being called holy, this has already been dealt with here (*). Indeed Islam has no such silly dogma. Islam does not need
salvation by the death of an innocent man for their sins.
He wrote:
Muslim Argument:
The Bible indicates that Christ was not the only sinless person. Oftentimes, scripture
uses the term "righteous" to indicate one who is blameless:
"And
they (Zachariah and Elizabeth) were righteous before
God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless." Luke 1:6
"My
little children, these things I write to you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have
an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous." 1 John 2:1
"I
say unto you, that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over
ninety and nine righteous persons, who need no repentance." Luke 15:7
"I came not
to call the righteous, but sinners into
repentance." Luke 5:32
"Little
children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is
righteous." 1 John 3:7
All these verses
affirm that there were many who were sinless like Christ, and did not need Christ to die
for them.
Christian
Reponse:
We provide a
verse by verse refutation of this erroneous understanding of Scripture. First, it should
be pointed out that the word for "righteous" is the Greek term dikaioo. The
word, dikaioo and
its various forms, is a legal term used judicially to declare one just, not guilty. It
does not mean one who is sinless.
There are two
ways one can be declared just before God. The first is to be completely perfect in every
aspect of one's life, something which no one can ever attain. The only person to be
absolutely perfect is Jesus Christ. The second manner is to be declared righteous solely
by God's grace. This entails a blood sacrifice for the covering over of sins:
"For
the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for
yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life." Leviticus
"In
fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood,
and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." Hebrews.
The only problem
with animal sacrifices is that in the eyes of God animals are not equal in value to man.
Therefore, animal sacrifices could only cover sin temporarily. This is why the Israelites
had to continuously offer sacrifices.
God sent Christ
as the sacrificial Lamb who by his death on the cross, offered himself as a sacrifice of
infinite value covering over the sins of the whole world. His blood not only covers sin,
but it completely eradicates it; something which animal sacrifices could not do:
"The
next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!' " John
"But
if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, purifies us
from all sin." 1 John 1:7
"For
Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered
heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer
himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year
with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have to suffer many times since the
creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do
away with sin by the sacrifice of himself." Heb. 9:24-26 NIV
Keeping in mind
that it is the blood that justifies one before God, we proceed to the verses in question.
In regards to
Zachariah and Elizabeth being blameless, one of Zachariah's duties as a Levitical priest of the division of Adonijah
(Cf. Luke 1:5) was to offer sacrifices once a year, first for his own sins and then for
the people. (Cf. Lev.16:1-34). Therefore, Zachariah was
blameless before God because of his observance of the commands which included animal
sacrifices for his sins. His righteousness was not based on him being sinless.
As far as 1 John 3:7 is concerned John is not implying that believers are
sinless, since he also states:
"If
we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and
the truth is not in us... If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place
in us." 1 John 1:8, 10 NIV
John's point is
that we have been made righteous in Christ, since "the blood of Jesus Christ, his
Son, cleanses us from all sin." (Cf. 1 John 1:7)
The part about
the ninety-nine righteous who do not need to repent in Luke 15:7
was not due to the fact that they were sinless. Jesus was mentioning a parable about a
Shepherd who would leave ninety-nine of his sheep in order to chase after that one who is
lost. (Cf. Luke 15:1-6)
Christ was
addressing the self-righteous Pharisees who were murmuring against him for sitting and
eating with sinners. Jesus' point was not that there were sinless individuals, but rather
that God rejoices over those persons who acknowledge their sins, humbling themselves
before their Creator. This was the purpose for Christ coming into the world, to search
after lost sinners and bring them back to the flock of God. Furthermore, God does not take
pleasure in self-righteous hypocrisy, individuals who think they are more righteous and
better than others. This is precisely what the Pharisees thought of themselves, Jews who
were far more righteous than the sinners and tax collectors whom Jesus was dining.
Finally, Jesus
elsewhere likens himself to a Shepherd:
"I
am the good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me- just as the Father knows me
and I know the Father- and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are
not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also.
They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd." John 10:14-16 NIV
It is Jesus, as
the Shepherd, who searches after the lost sheep, leaving behind the ninety-nine. This
indicates that the ninety-nine were not righteous because they were sinless, but because
they belonged to Jesus. Therefore, the point of the parable is to show that it is Jesus
who both brings the sheep into the flock and who also justifies them; it has absolutely
nothing to do with one being sinless.
(Note: For the
answer to Luke
My Response:
Jesus
may be the good shepherd but he is not good in the sense that he is God,
this has already been noted in the previous section of this rebuttal.
He wrote:
Muslim Argument:
According to Jesus in Matthew 18:6, children are sinless:
"But
whoever causes one of these little ones who
believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened
round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea."
Jesus is
basically indicating that children are without sin since someone must cause them to sin.
Christian
Reponse:
Again, Jesus is
not saying that children in and of themselves are sinless. Rather, Jesus is affirming that
those children WHO BELIEVE IN HIM are declared righteous, since they have been justified
through Christ. This is reiterated in the verse before it:
\
"And
whoever welcomes a little child like this IN MY
NAME welcomes me." Mat. 18:5
Again, in Matthew 19:13-14 we are told:
"Then
little children were brought to Jesus for him to
place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought
them. Jesus said, `Let the little children COME TO
ME, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'
"
Hence, a person
must come and wholeheartedly embrace Christ like the children did. This is the kind of
devotion Christ demands, total dependency upon him in all aspects of one's life.
This again
affirms that justification comes solely through Christ.
My Response:
So
basically the children are sinners? Indeed you have a very strange and twisted doctrine in
original sin. Just to show how illogical the original sin is on children is that since
children are sinners, and since they aren’t knowledgeable enough to know what to
believe, and since many of them are born into non-Christian families, then many of them
will die not believing in Christ and will die as sinners since they are already sinners.
Hence they will end up in hell! So according to original sin and Christianity, kids who do
not accept Jesus as their saviour are going to hell! Since they die as sinners who do not believe in Christ. There is no
way around to say that they are just kids and cannot understand so it was okay if they did
not believe in Christ or if they never knew about Christ. This does not work because
according to you they are still sinners! And where do sinners go according to you? The
sinners who do not believe in Christ go straight to hell! No way around it. For the kids
to be accepted to heaven is to under mine Christ and God, because technically you are
allowing sinners who do not believe in Christ into heaven. Either way you are left with a
major problem, according to original sin all kids who die without believing in Jesus go to
hell, for them not to go to hell and enter heaven means God compromises his own law and
commands for letting sinners who do not believe in Christ into heaven.
You
can choose which option you want, or choose the best option which is option 3 which is to
leave Christianity and embrace Islam!
He wrote:
Muslim Argument:
Salvation according to Jesus comes from observing the commandments:
"And
behold, one came up to him, saying, `Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal
life?' And he said unto him, `Why do you ask me about what is good? One there is who is
good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.'
" Mat. 19:16-17
"And
behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, `Teacher, what shall I do to
inherit eternal life?' Jesus said, `What is written in the Law? How do you read?' And he
answered, `You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,
and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.' And he said to him, `You have answered right; DO THIS, and you will live.'" Luke 10:25-28
"For
I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees,
you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven." Mat 5:20 NASB
Christian
Reponse:
Jesus is actually
teaching the exact opposite. His point is to show the impossibility of achieving salvation
by works of the Law. This point is clearly brought out by Christ throughout his sermon in
Matthew:
"You
have heard that it was said, `Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who
looks at a woman lustfully has already committed
adultery with her in his heart." Mat 5:27-28 NIV
"You
have heard that it was said, `Love your neighbor and hate your
enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray
for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes
his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the
unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even tax
collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than
others? Do not even pagans do that? Be PERFECT,
therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Mat.
5:43-48 NIV
These are just
some examples of the righteousness which Jesus demands that surpasses the righteousness of
the Pharisees and scribes. This righteousness is impossible to attain by human efforts
since it must perfectly duplicate God's righteousness. This demand for perfection is
reiterated by Christ to the rich man:
"Jesus
answered, `If you want to be PERFECT, go, sell your possessions and give to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'
" Mat. 19:21 NIV
The perfection
that God demands comes from surrendering one's life to Christ. It is Jesus who justifies
believers by the righteousness he attained through his perfect obedience to the Law.
When someone
surrenders his life to Jesus, God imputes Christ's righteousness to his account. From
there, God empowers the individual by the Holy Spirit to fulfill
God's righteous requirements. This righteousness is not to achieve salvation, but is a
sign that one has been saved:
"But
now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made
known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This
righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." Rom. 3:21-22 NIV
As the apostle
Paul states, the righteousness that comes through faith in the Messiah had been foretold
beforehand in the Old Testament:
"After
the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his
knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities." Isa. 53:11 NIV
"The
days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will raise up to David a righteous
Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his
days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will
be called: The LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." Jer.
23:5-6 NIV
"Seventy
`sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression,
to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in EVERLASTING RIGHTEOUSNESS, to
seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy... after the sixty `sevens,' the Anointed One (Messiah) will
be cut off and have nothing." Daniel 9:24, 26
According to
these passages, Messiah's death would usher in the righteousness of God and would also
atone for sin.
"Therefore,
there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Because through Christ
Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what
the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by
sending his Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned
sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous
requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful
nature but according to the Spirit." Rom. 8:1-4 NIV
"God
made him sin who had no sin to be sin for us, so
that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2
Cor. 5:21 NIV
"For
it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith; it is not of yourselves. It is the
gift of God, and not of works lest anyone should boast. For we
are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do
good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:8-10
Hence, it is the
unanimous testimony of Scripture that man is justified by the imputed righteousness of
Christ, since one can never achieve the perfect righteousness of God apart from him.
As far as Jesus'
statement to the lawyer in Luke 10:25-28 is concerned,
again Christ's point is that if the lawyer is able to do all that is required in the Law
he will obtain salvation. But the problem is that no one can attain the perfection which
God demands, "for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Cf. Rom. 3:23)
Because
"there is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins,"
since "all have turned aside," and "have become corrupt; there is no one
who does good, not even one," each individual needs Christ's imputed righteousness.
Otherwise, no one can stand justified before God. (Cf.
Ecclesiastes 7:20; Psalms 14:3)
My Response:
I
must say Shamoun has lost it. Note what he says about the
verses the Muslim proposes: Jesus is actually teaching the
exact opposite.
Let
us quote the verses again:
"And
behold, one came up to him, saying, `Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal
life?' And he said unto him, `Why do you ask me about what is good? One there is who is
good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.'
" Mat. 19:16-17
The
verse is very clear. Jesus tells the man to keep the commandments! But no according to Shamoun he is saying the exact opposite! Indeed that is very funny
as nowhere in the text does it support that view. If Jesus were indeed teaching the exact
opposite then this would mean to not keep the commandments! Meaning you could kill, steal,
do whatever you want since you don’t have to keep the
commandments.
And
behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, `Teacher, what shall I do to
inherit eternal life?' Jesus said, `What is written in the Law? How do you read?' And he
answered, `You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,
and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.' And he said to him, `You have answered right; DO THIS, and you will live.'" Luke 10:25-28
Aha
so Jesus was lying and meant don’t do this. Do not love God with all your heart and
your soul and strength and mind and your neighbour. So now we don’t have to love God
anymore nor our neighbour! Shamoun just keeps making things
worse for himself.