Grace, Faith, and Works

The more I learn about Islam and Christianity, the more it becomes apparent that the nature of the two religions is completely antithetical. However, exposing this is often painfully arduous, because the issues are extremely complex and require some serious meditation and dissection of thorny theological issues. Because of this, many well-intentioned and intelligent people are fooled into citing similarities in the two religions where disagreement and divergence exists instead.

Perhaps nothing reveals these complex inversions better than examining the issue of salvation as it relates to grace, faith, and works. If you ask a Christian about how to earn salvation, you will be told that such a thing is impossible. Salvation cannot be earned, but rather comes by God’s grace alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). Yet Christians also maintain that a person must have faith and repent of their sins and ask for forgiveness (Acts 17:30-31; Acts 2:38). This faith is demonstrated via works (James 2:20; Ephesians 2:10). While some Christians might take issue with this combination rather than faith alone, the idea of good works flowing out of a true faith is one that has Biblical support (James 2:14: James 2:22). So the question arises of how grace, faith, and works interplay. Would the acts of believing in Jesus and repentance of sins in themselves be “works”? Would this mean that a person must have faith and works to be saved, and thus not grace alone? How do these operate in concert? Doesn’t grace “by definition” exclude works of any kind? (Romans 11:6) Hold these thoughts for a moment while the Islamic position is analyzed and this can all be sorted out.

In Islam, the path to salvation is described using strikingly similar language. Since Allah is viewed as sovereign, Muslims will say that salvation is ultimately at his discretion. Muslims will say that it’s only by the grace of Allah that a Muslim can be saved, and not by faith or works. (Many Muslims erroneously interchange the concepts of “grace” and “mercy”, but that’s an article for a later date.) As an example of the predominance of Allah’s grace, Muhammad said “There is none whose deeds alone would entitle him to get into Paradise”. [i] Yet Muslims are also required to believe that Allah is one, and there are many commands within Islam for Muslims to follow. This faith and its corresponding actions are also seen as critical within Islam. The Qur’an mimics the Christian view of requiring faith in order to obtain salvation. One of many such verses of the Qur’an is as follows,

[5.9] Allah has promised to those who believe and do good deeds (that) they shall have forgiveness and a mighty reward.

In these passages, both faith and good works are mentioned. Muslims have a common understanding regarding the interaction of grace, faith, and works. Salvation within Islam comes by grace, yet faith and works play a key role as well. It is outlined by one Muslim author as follows, “Islam teaches that salvation is attained by God’s Grace, and that God bestows His Grace upon those who have both inner belief and good works.” [emphasis in the original] [ii]

This all sounds so akin to Christian doctrine. Surely Christianity and Islam are two sides of the same coin in this case. Yet there is something going on here that is so easily missed. Look very closely not at the words being used, but in what order they are being used.

In Islam, while the ultimate decision is left to Allah, grace is given to those who most merit that grace. Perhaps to put it more bluntly, one Muslim described Allah this way, “He is the All-Merciful, He is Mercy. He is compassionate, All-Forgiving, but only for those who deserve it.” [iii] In contrast, God is described as the one who first gives us the grace so that we might even be able to believe and be obedient in the first place. In John 6:44, Jesus tells us “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Grace within Islam is something very different than what it is within Christianity. In Islam, grace is something Allah gives you AFTER you muster up your own faith and works. While it is Allah alone who grants salvation, this occurs as a consequence of believing in Allah and doing good works as defined within Islam. However, in Christianity, grace comes first, before either faith or works. Neither the ability to confess Jesus as Lord or to do anything pleasing to God can happen unless God first grants the grace to do so (Matthew 16:16-17; Romans 8:7). This Bible consistently teaches salvation by grace alone, with faith and works flowing out as an after-effect.

To put it another way, in Islam, faith and works lead to Allah’s grace. In Christianity, it is God’s grace that leads to faith and works (Romans 2:4). Complete opposites.

[i] Sahih Muslim, Book #039, #6761 http://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=039&translator=2&start=0&number=6760#6760

[ii] http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/1165/

[iii] http://www.justaskislam.com/23/salvation-in-islam/

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13 Responses to Grace, Faith, and Works

  1. Jeanne says:

    “…..many well-intentioned and intelligent people are fooled into citing similarities in the two religions where disagreement and divergence exists instead.”

    Well said. The differences between Islam and Christianity are often subtle, and deceive the undiscerning mind. But that is the danger of deception, which abounds, and this is why we must carefully study God’s Word and ask the Holy Spirit for discernment to know the differences.

    Thank you, Robert. – Jeanne

  2. Deborah Young says:

    It always vexes me: People who make claims as experts in the Islamic din (way, path) even the very basics confused. Islam did not begin with the prophet Muhammad. It was only given the NAME Islam with he Arabs. Allow me to disabuse you of such a false notion as that Islam is so limited. This din began with Ibrahim (Abraham) as he is the father of the three Abrahamic faiths and the twelve tribes.
    The belief that there is but One God and that “He” Has no partners is the cornerstone of Islam. This is first spoken of in scripture with the story of Ibrahim.
    Nothing happens except with the “permission” of Allah. We ALL receive Allah’s Grace! When it rains, it rains on EVERYONE and ALL things, living and not living. We do not all, however, receive Allah’s Mercy as we haven’t all EARNED it. Only Allah Is Closer to us than our own jugular veins! That which lies deep within the professed repented pedophile, for instance, only Allah Can Know. Infinite Wisdom! When we fall out of Grace, it’s by our own DEEDS. Islam also doesn’t say that only Muslims, only those who practice this din, will go to paradise. It says only >believers<. The Qu'ran plainly says that "the Jews, the Christians, the Muslims, and the Sabians – On them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve."
    There is no contradiction here. The Qu'ran doesn't contradict itself, neither on the point that you brought up, nor any other.

  3. Deborah Young says:

    I just reread your ⬆️ words. There are a lot of commonalities in Christianity and Islam. Some choose to look for and point out differences. There are some who’ve been put here for just that purpose, to try to cause dissent as opposed to inspiring peace. Our differences are that which make us, (we spirits, here on Earth but for an inkling) so recognizable and beautiful. You expend a lot of energy with this course you’ve chosen. Sad. So sad that you’ve chosen such dark energy and to have forged such an alliance (ch).

  4. Deborah,

    Of course I am aware that Muslims claim that their faith began with Abraham. However, just because a claim is made does not necessarily make it true. If you have any evidence that Abraham practiced a form of Islam that comes from for somewhere other than the Qur’an, by all means I would like to see that.

    As for causing dissention, I am doing nothing more than stating facts. If you see something I have said that is in error, please let me know. You talk about earning Allah’s mercy. This is exactly opposite than the Christian view. The mercy that we receive with respect to our salvation is in spite of our deeds, not because of them. You say I cause division, but I am just pointing out realities. If I were you, I would be upset too to learn that the teachings of Islam are opposite of those of Jesus,

    • Deborah Young says:

      Peace to you,
      The Bible tells this truth: When Ibrahim, while working in his father’s shop fashioning the idols for temple worship, it dawned upon him that the idols held no power. He pondered the moon and the stars. He considered the sun and its fire. God Blessed Ibrahim to see that his Creator was the Same “Who” Created all that he’d considered, all that he witnessed others worshipping. He also came to know and understand that this Power Is One ! My brother, it is not that you worship one God and I worship another ! God’s “characteristics” don’t change as our perception of Him changes, from person to person – from religion to religion – from culture to culture. Do you know that Arab Cristian’s call God Allah ? Yet, hmm, He Remains the Same One Force !!
      Allah Told Ibrahim (saws) to sacrifice his ONLY son, correct ? Correct. Christians and Jews say that this son was Ishaq (saws). Okay, can we use some simple common sense here ? Ibrahim’s only son was Ishmael (saws). Why ? Because Ishmael was the first born! And since he didn’t die before Isaac… Simple math. Ishmael was Hagar’s son. Hagar and Ishmael were banished to Makkah – the two springs, the well of Zam-Zam… (not enough time or interest in giving you a history lesson)
      And, correction:
      Allah’s Grace Is Extended to ALL ! When the sun shines, it shines on ALL things, all life. When it rains, all beings are quenched, even the father who steals his own 3 year old son’s innocence, night after bloody, torturous night. Even the murderer who gains pleasure knowing his countless victims are dieing slow deaths, buried alive. Yes, this kind/type of Allah’s GRACE Is Given to ALL. However, not all will receive God’s ETERNAL Mercy as not all will repent. Even you know that much. It’s not incumbent upon me to try to earn Allah’s Grace; it is Freely Given. His Mercy Is Freely Given as well, to those who’ve lived according to His Commandments ! …and to those who, after having gone astray, seek His Forgiveness. In my example, I mentioned the child predator. Because such a creature SAYS they’ve repented isn’t enough. The words must be supported by the deeds.
      Lastly, let me disabuse you of the notion that I somehow am “upset to learn that the teachings of Islam are opposite of those of Jesus”. I do not worship Jesus (saaws). I worship Who Jesus Worshipped ! I worship Allah Alone ! I do not associate any partners with Allah ! He Has no partners ! He Does not Beget nor is He Begotten ! He Is The One ! He Is Eternal and Absolute ! He Is Emmanuel (He Who Causes Himself to Become) !!! He Is Jehovah ! He Is Jah ! He Is Tahweh ! He Is not His own son.
      Christ said: “Hear O Israel ! The Lord thy God Is One.”
      I love my Christian brothers and sisters, my Muslim brothers and sisters, ALL Believers ! Unfortunately, there are those such as yourself who seek to cause dissent. My heart overflows with too much love and compassion to be drawn into such ugliness. We each must follow the paths we choose. This Is Part of His Grace and Mercy as well ! Free will.
      I’ll now bow out of this discourse as gracefully as I know how, which is to leave you with this small prayer:
      May the Peace and Blessings of Allh Be upon you.

      • Deborah Young says:

        Definitions (and notes)
        Islam: derived from the Arabic root “Salema” means peace, purity, submission and obedience. In the “religious” sense, Islam means submission to the will of God and obedience to His law.
        Muslim: We are ALL born Muslim. All living things that act according to What God Has Ordained are Muslim. That sparrow singing outside your window is doing what is in its nature because Allah Put it into its nature. Just as EVERY newborn baby can only behave the way that is in its nature, can only SUBMIT TO THE WILL OF ALLAH, so all living things. (To be Mumin is of a higher plane of understanding. Mumin and Muminah are distinguished by BELIEF, not just nature. Often people ask where Muslims come from and the answer is clear; everywhere. Anyone on the earth who believes in the One God of Adam, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, Jesus and Muhammad, (peace be upon them all) and is trying to do what the Commandments of Allah Has Ordered them to do and trying to stay away from the things the Commandments of Allah Order them to stay away from, is very much a Muslim, by both definition and intent.

        Some will ask, “What about Muslims terrorists?” And of course the answer is simple: If you are at peace with Allah and doing what He Has Commanded and staying away from what He Has Forbidden, how could you be a terrorist?” This is a misrepresentation of both the meaning of the word, “Muslim” and a gross misrepresentation of who Muslims are.
        The two words “Muslim” and “terrorist” cancel each other out ! Muslim terrorist is and oxymoron. I’ve heard “Muslim extremist”. There is no extremism in Islam. Those who proclaim that they are Muslim, are following the Qu’ran, are acting in accordance with Islam while wielding a sword to decapitate someone, are horribly confused and are NOT my brothers !
        However, we never hear about this on the flip side ! HOW ABOUT THE KKK CLAIMING TO COMMIT THE
        ACTS
        OF
        TERRORISM
        ON THE INNOCENT – IN THE NAME OF CHRIST ?!
        Hmm, what about, let’s say, ONE OF THE WORSE ACTS OF TERRORISM EVER COMMITTED ON AMERICAN SOIL ?!
        I’m speaking of Timothy McVeigh !
        The Oklahama bombing. Mannn, I could go on and on and on with examples of acts of terrorism committed in the name of Christ. This phenomena is not at all exclusive to those kooks who claim to be Muslim

      • Deborah Young says:

        Definitions (and notes)
        Islam: derived from the Arabic root “Salema” means peace, purity, submission and obedience. In the “religious” sense, Islam means submission to the will of God and obedience to His law.
        Muslim: We are ALL born Muslim. All living things that act according to What God Has Ordained are Muslim. That sparrow singing outside your window is Muslim because it’s doing only what is in its nature, because Allah Put it into its nature. Just as EVERY newborn baby can only behave the way that is in its nature, can only SUBMIT TO THE WILL OF ALLAH, so is true for all living things. To be Mumin is of a higher plane of understanding. Mumin and Muminah are distinguished by >BELIEF< (nurture), not nature alone. Often people ask where Muslims come from and the answer is clear – everywhere. Anyone on Earth who believes in the One God of Adam, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, Jesus and Muhammad, (peace be upon them all [saaws]) and is trying to do what the Commandments of Allah Has Ordered them to do and trying to stay away from the things the Commandments of Allah Order them to stay away from, is very much a Muslim, by both definition and intent.
        SAAWS – Sal Allahu Alaihi wa Salaam – Peace and Blessing of Allah Be upon them/him/her.

  5. Deborah Young says:

    My apologies for the ‘repeats’. I apparently made several mistakes while posting my comments. Sorry for the redundancy.

  6. Deborah,

    You have brought up too many points for me to answer them individually, so let me just deal with one or two to illustrate what is happening.

    First, you say the Bible tells the truth that Abraham recognized the idols in his fathers shop had no power. While we both agree idols have no power, would you please show me where in the Bible this is discussed? I would like to discuss the Biblical passage with you. Please let me know the book, chapter, and verse.

    As to his “only son”, you assume that only son refers to physical sons, not spiritual sons. Ishmael was the son given to him by Hagar, but this was not the son of promise. This was not the son of whom God speaks, “18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before You!” 19 But God said, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.”” For Abraham to sacrifice the child who was not of the covenant would not have meant anything. It only makes sense that God would ask Abraham to sacrifice the child of covenant.

    As for the rest, we can wait for another time. But for now, please cite the verse regarding the idols in Abraham father’s shop.

  7. Thom Boone says:

    It is ironic that your argument does a much better job of showing how much real common ground there is between Islam and Christianity and how circuitious the abstract conceptual differences truly are. Additionally, many Christians would not agree with your nuanced interpretation of the meaning of these terms in Christianity. I am sure many Isalmic scholars would also disagree along similar lines. But amazingly you do one of the best jobs laying a foundation for the argument that the two religions have a whole lot more in common than they do that makes them different. These theological differences are greatly exaggerated and most certainly do not justify war, genocide, the Crusades, or just plain stonewalling ecumenical discussion with Islam. Islam is not a Jihadist religion – and those who currently seek to terrorize the world using Islam as a justification are nothing more than criminals (serious criminals to be sure) who pervert Islam. You obviously are aware that really understanding all of the theological differences and splits amongst different part of the Islamic world is even more complex than understanding the divisions in the Christian world. Have you spoken with many Coptic Christians recently?

  8. Thom,

    One necessary component of passing any good lie as truth as that the lie must contain enough truth to be believable. If someone created the religion of the purple spoon, which required you to carry a purple spoon around with you at all times to find salvation, it would be seen as ridiculous right away. In order to float a heresy as truth, it must be difficult to distinguish it from orthodoxy. The order of grace versus faith and works is a big deal. It holds tremendous theological significance.

    Obvious such difference do not justify war or other such violent actions. I disagree with you, though, that Islam is not a jihadist religion. I would be happy to discuss the Qur’an and Hadith with you in greater detail. Thankfully, the vast majority of Muslims do not follow Islam as commanded by Muhammad.

  9. Dena Fredrickson says:

    Yes Islam and Judaism and Christianity share many similarities. That is Islam’s deception. But Islam sets itself up in opposition to Judaism and Christianity. Let’s leave the old testament aside and look at the perversion of the central tenets of Christianity: that God so loved the world that he gave his only son to be crucified and rise from the dead. Belief in this fundamental truth is antithetical to Islam. Islam teaches that God would not let the Jews have victory over Christ by being the instrument of his death and that God would not allow his son to suffer the pain and ignominious death on the cross. And of course also that Christ has not been raised. It matters not only how we receive God’s grace but also in what we believe. If we accept Islam as possessing truth on this rejection of the most central truth of salvation history we reject God. Like Peter in his attempt to save Jesus from his passion and death, Islam teaches that we should think not as God thinks but as man thinks. And this is the work of the devil, as Jesus starkly told to Peter, who would lead his Church, “Get behind me Satan.”

    This is not to say that Muslims themselves are inherently evil, but those who have heard the truth of Christianity and reject it are separating themselves from God. Whether or not this cuts them off from salvation is left to the mercy of God.

  10. Yahaya says:

    Derby Young & others
    I have some couple of questions to ask you. Can God be the author of confusion? Agreed there are common grounds, but there is a whole lot more difference than they do that makes them common. Can God Almighty be the author of both Quran and the Bible yet they contradict one another? I have no doubt one of this books is demonically originated and the other divine.
    Derby where is the grace if you don’t have the freedom of choice? Why will you be killed for apostasy if there is grace and a religion is not a cult?
    Derby have you considered the teachings of the Bible and the Quran on divorce, marriage, treatment of enemy, the type of animal to sacrifice etc. Are they from the same source? djimrauy@gmail.com

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