“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." Romans 5:8
After reading through my recent journal one thing stood out above all others. Memories flooded back of the many in-depth conversations centered around the subject of sin and the cross which I engaged in with my Muslim and believer friends. Much deeper and bolder inroads were taken into that dark powerful territory. It was not pleasant territory to walk in, but inevitable and necessary. I went in shining the Light and speaking the Truth and there were strong reactions and responses. Some friends cut me off totally while others listened carefully.
After reading through my recent journal one thing stood out above all others. Memories flooded back of the many in-depth conversations centered around the subject of sin and the cross which I engaged in with my Muslim and believer friends. Much deeper and bolder inroads were taken into that dark powerful territory. It was not pleasant territory to walk in, but inevitable and necessary. I went in shining the Light and speaking the Truth and there were strong reactions and responses. Some friends cut me off totally while others listened carefully.
If we want to make the cross and a Savior understood
we can not avoid talking about sin. I have discovered that some Muslims who
declare they are following Jesus have not understood the cross or ever been
convicted of their sin, repented of it, or been transformed. They have
primarily been touched by the suffering and love of Jesus. However, that is not
complete. To understand the preciousness of our salvation the subject of sin
must be addressed. We are saved from the power of sin.
When Jesus came to earth He entered our world of sin. When we decide to enter the lives of our Muslim friends
we, too, will soon see the effects of sin: misogyny and misandry, broken
families and relationships, cut off communication with someone in their
community, toxic and twisted thought patterns, rebelliousness, controlling
people, craving for revenge, obsession with correct religious behavior and
clothing, overwhelming fear of Allah, hell, and punishment, obsessive concern
about forbidden food, etc. We can pick up they are carrying burdens of guilt or shame.
Recently some
Muslim friends received some chocolates. They quickly read the label to see if
there was any gelatin in them and since there was none listed they began to
enjoy them. They offered me some but I declined. “Don’t worry, there’s no gelatin
in them,” they said. “It’s not the gelatin I’m worried about – it’s the sugar,”
I replied. While I thought of diabetes prevention they thought of punishment
from Allah, bad luck, or hell. Conversations can get extremely vexing and
oppressive over what constitutes real sin and righteousness.
I told Hamida that Jesus Christ came from heaven to
earth and did she know why? She didn’t know so I told her it was to die for our
sins and explained sin and its consequences from Genesis 3 and how a sacrifice
was needed to take the guilt and punishment of our sins away. Jesus Christ made
atonement for our sins. She was visibly surprised. She had never heard before
that He came to die for our sins.
Have you approached the
subject of sin with your Muslim friend? The amazing work of Jesus accomplished on the cross will not be comprehended without understanding our sin.
Dear heavenly Father, please help me to be able
to talk about sin with my Muslim friends. I find it so difficult and uncomfortable. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
