One of the most often repeated ‘proofs’ about the ‘truth’ of Christianity has been the transformative power of Christ, or the way in which accepting Jesus can change our lives for the better. The New Testament mentions this quite a few times, as does the quote in the image above indicate. I’ve had close Christian friends mention this to me, I’ve had preachers speak about this to me, and I fully understand where they are coming from. It makes perfect sense to believe that believing in God should have a positive effect on one’s life, but this claim is a double-edged sword. We need to ask, in what way does Christianity transform a person that no other religion or ideology does?
I’ve met drug addicts, homosexuals, prostitutes who have reformed their lives with and without the use of religion. Yet, the Bible uses as a proof of Christianity’s truth, that…
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I’m glad Ijaz chose to adress this.
Some few years back when i was still comparing christianity and Islam to find the truth, i seriously considered the spiritual transformation brought about by a renewal of mind and heart through the Holy Spirit in the process of santification, to be a strong case for Christianity. Even William Craig in reasonable faith brings this up as an internal and probably the strongest confirmation for a christian that he is upon the truth.
I personally spent time with evangelical christians who i can say were really changed as a result and the prayer sessions in church were really intense and deep. Now many muslims i knew unfortenantly were mostly salafi, and the apparent legalism and formal worship was in stark contrast to what i had witnessed amongst the evangelicals and further swayed me in favour of Christianity.
However upon reflection i also knew some other interesting individuals who clearly were changed and yet non-Christian. Some are secular. Some are mystics, like sufis, Rumi, Fakhr ad din, Ahmad Ghazali etc.
But i would also like to make a point of criticism.
Ijaz states that although christians teach salvation by grace apart from the law, nonetheless they still judge a christian using the standards of the law. If i have understood Ijaz right, i think he is mistaken. It is not actually a contradiction if the fruits of the spirit, which is in conformity with the law, serves as a proof that renewal has taken place. In other words it serves rather as a proof for renewal than salvation.
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Great points. Yes I agree that Ijaz is mistaken. But it’s a good article despite that error.
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I think what br. Ijaz keen to point out is that (most) christians have low view on law. I share his observation, most christians I know including those who said that they have really changed as a result of spirit inside them do not feel obliged to measure their obedience to God using the standard of Biblical law the way the Jews and Muslims do.
I too personally have spent time with muslims with various persuasion including the salafis whom have been deeply transformed and in a state of total submission and peace to God. One of my Sheikh is a salafi (whose view is strict adherence to every thing in the law /sharia determine his one’s virtue). One time we had been flown together in an airplane shaken through a raging storm and turbulence. While everyone naturally were terrified I envy my sheikh utter calmness, he ensured me that if it was destined to him that everybody would die if the plane crashed it is the Will of the Almighty , we must be ready for that, no need to worry he said to me, his body language was so sincere. Such a deep and profound conviction of his faith. I am still learning walk down his path.
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Beautiful
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God is for every one and not for Muslims or Christians orran Jews alone. God is for idol worshipers as well. God is for the voodoo priest as well.
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The difference is that God wants it law to be followed and the first thing before the law is what He(God) Himself said He is from the time of Abraham till today and that is clearly written that He is One, Only and Alone.
Transformation or spiritual transformation or even Holy Spirit as Christians will like to call it is for everyone. This spirit leading people to righteousness was there long, long time ago before Christianity and before Jesus was born or crucified.
It is disingenuous for Christians to take this spirit guiding is to truth as theirs alone. It is insult to all creations by Chrisitans who think what belong to us all is only for them.
This spirit(Holy) can lead an idol worshiper to doe good while still an idol worshiper.
The opposite of Holy Spirit is Un-Holy spirit who is satan who influence people including Christians to do evil and disobedieneet things.
Sometimes this evil spirit disguise himself as the Holy Spirit or the spirit of truth to let some to dream of seeing crosses and being led to the gates of heaven by someone.
How can you be sure? It is a Holy Spirit leading you to righteousness? or the evil spirit lying to you to lead you astray?
The answer is simple. The litmus test for the true spirit or Holy Spirit who is leading you to God is when He passed the test and tell you worship only one, and alone God of Abraham who is not 2,3,4,5………..of other beings or persons added to him.u al
Other than that any one can have spiritual transformation in doing Good thing but not Christians or Muslims alone.
Some idol worshipers are really nice people, caring for others and living a moral lives than Muslims and Christians. The Good or Holy Spirit is still abiding in them the idol worshipers. They (idol worshipers) will run to save an injured person to get an ambulance to hospital for him(the injured). How can you tell me it is not the Holy Spirit or Good spirit that influence him(idol worshiper) to run and save someone.?
Remember, the idol worshiper has a choice i.e. righteous and sinful freewill to either help the injured man or not to help the injured man. The idol worshiper chose the righteous path.
Some Christians and Muslims could pass by and not help an injured person and the evil spirit acted on them.
This spirits (bad and Good) interchange their activities on all of us, so it is childish to choose to good spirit Holy or Good and think it is for you alone but not for others who do not share your views.
Thanks.
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Hi Guys,
Thanks for the comments and the criticism (I appreciate this the most, and prefer critical comments). I’m not sure I expressed myself sufficiently in the article given the feedback in the comments above. What I’m trying to say is that (some) Christians see a person as being saved based on their behaviour (their renewal, transformation, rebirth). As a consequence of this, based on good behaviour, the metric they use for this good behaviour is adherence to some Church or Biblical norms, usually laws. I took this concept from RC Sproul’s ‘Can I Be Sure I’m Saved?’.
Does this clarify what I’ve written? Should I edit the article to reflect this thought more clearly?
Wallahi – I appreciate the feedback, and want to ensure I’m sending out a correct message. Any and all critical comments are welcomed and needed!
and God knows best.
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Hey Ijaz.
Thanks for clarifying your statement.
In the epistle of Romans, Paul is charged to regard the law as insignificant and irrelevant. The accusation was that Paul and the Christian movement were teaching lawlessness as a result of his teaching of salvation by grace apart from the works of the law. Now let me also emphasise that i am aware of a new evaluation of 1 century Judaism and Paul’s use of the statement “works of the law”. I will here assume doctrinal statements in systematic theological works by evangelical authors.
Paul’s reply is that he on the contrary honours the law. Where there is no law there is no sin. But where law is there is sin. As everyone is incapable of following the law, salvation is only through grace, a gift, not earned through any merits. The result is a new creation, Paul’s statement of “I no longer live but Christ lives in me”. In connection to that is the statements of the new Christian life as a process of conforming to the image of Christ. Now here i think the christian will say conforming means abiding by the law, as a result of being a new creation in Christ, emphasis on the word result.
1 John says “if we continue in sin we are not in Him.”
And furthermore perhaps a christian will appeal to Galatian 5 that those who belong to Christ will be recognized by their fruits.
In conclusion, they still maintain salvation by grace while also giving the law an appropriate place in their lives. A born again christian is that by God’s grace the Christian will say.
A christian who does not show sign of renewal did not recieve faith through grace and therefore The effect of grace is not apparent.
Hopefully the discussion did not become to muddled as this can be a little bit confusing but this is my reason why i think you did not accurately represent some of their position.
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A good comment. Hard to find anything I personally could disagree with.
“Paul is charged to regard the law as insignificant and irrelevant.”
You obviously meant “Paul is charged with regarding the law as insignificant and irrelevant”.
“A christian who does not show sign of renewal did not receive faith through grace and therefore the SANCTIFYING effect of grace is not apparent.” because he is not born again of the Holy Spirit.
Of course in that case a good Calvinist would say he was never a Christian in the first place.
I don’t think any Christian would claim that moral transformation is impossible for non-Christians. Or that non-Christians can’t lead morally upright lives. However they would still be falling short of the mark and be in need of grace:
Romans 3:23King James Version (KJV)
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
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“most christians I know including those who said that they have really changed as a result of spirit inside them do not feel obliged to measure their obedience to God using the standard of Biblical law the way the Jews and Muslims do.”
I think you are confusing biblical law with Sharia. Why don’t you use the word Sharia if you are a Muslim?
If biblical law is the same as Sharia why the need for another prophet after Jesus, or Moses for that matter?
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madmanna
You said;
I don’t think any Christian would claim that moral transformation is impossible for non-Christians. Or that non-Christians can’t lead morally upright lives. However they would still be falling short of the mark and be in need of grace:
I say;
You are still falling short to understand “grace” is also not for Christians alone. It is like how Christians used to boast that they are saved and are sure to go to heaven. When you ask them to provide the proof with heavenly pictures with angels surrounding them in an garden and a ticked to heaven stamped, approved and autographed by God, they can’t provide it.
Every religion has its own grace and the followers believe they are saved and will go to heaven if they do believe in heaven. Some religion respect God and do leave the final judgement to God while believing they will go to heaven.
It is disingenuous say you are the only religion which has “grace” “have moral life by sanctification” or “sure to go to heaven” during discussion and dialog with others. You have said nothing when you bring these during dialog because the others do also believe those according to their religious conviction.
Instead one must stress how his religion is the true one that believe in the Only One and Alone God of Abraham.
Some Idol worshipers have grace too according to their religious conviction and some of them lives in morality and believe they will go to heaven.
Worshiping the Only One True God of Abraham who is not more than 2,3,4,5,…………………….persons/beings will make the difference and prove the right “grace” from the wrong “grave” because every religion has its own grace.
The people who followed Abraham and Abraham himself, Moses and his followers, Jacob, Isaac, Solomon etc. and all the prophets of God do not believe God died or Jesus but had grace from the One true God of Abraham and that God is the same as the Bible said God is always the same and never change.
You said;
think you are confusing biblical law with Sharia. Why don’t you use the word Sharia if you are a Muslim?
If biblical law is the same as Sharia why the need for another prophet after Jesus, or Moses for that matter?
I say;
Prophet Mohammed and Sharia law is just an update from God like how HE Keeps updating laws and prophets from time to time.
Sharia and Biblical laws are similar with minor and major differences.
Fast as Jesus did, do not eat pork, do not kill, give charity, do not steal, do not backbite, pray as Jesus did by falling to the ground, ask for forgiveness from your Lord i.e. Our Father……………..and forgive us our trespasses.
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In the name of Allah the Gracious the Merciful
“most christians I know including those who said that they have really changed as a result of spirit inside them do not feel obliged to measure their obedience to God using the standard of Biblical law the way the Jews and Muslims do.”
Madmanna://I think you are confusing biblical law with Sharia. Why don’t you use the word Sharia if you are a Muslim?//
Of course not, Muslim understand “the law” from God remain essentially the same since Mosaic revelation . Some small difference is due to God reveal it in stages through His prophets over time depending on the condition of the people . If you ever study Jewish Halachic legal system (which is derived from the Bible) with sharia law, you will find obvious parallels in there. Both purport to instruct us in how to attend to every aspect of one’s life: one’s getting up and one’s going out, one’s sexual practice and one’s business practices. It dictates every aspect of the believer life.
Madmanna://If biblical law is the same as Sharia why the need for another prophet after Jesus, or Moses for that matter?//
Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them) never claimed to be the last prophet nor being the last of the law givers.
Even from the New Testaments Jesus reportedly said:
This strongly indicates that Jesus mission is not final yet and there will be many things from his God which has not been revealed yet.
I bet you know that for Muslims this can only refers to the last Prophet and final Law Giver from God: Muhammad (peace be upon him)
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