How I Was a Lot Like a Muslim

At age 9, I went to a church camp and learned that I needed to invite Jesus to come into my heart so that my sins would be forgiven.

Some time after that, a Sunday school teacher told my class that Jesus leaves our hearts when we behave wrongly.

Sadly, I believed her. I felt scared and confused. And every night for the next 12 years, I asked Jesus to come back into my heart—because I sinned every day.

I began to see that God is not controlled either by my sin or by my good deeds.

But as a young adult, I learned that my real problem was that I wasn’t believing the truth about salvation. I started reading God’s Word. And nowhere in the Bible could I find what my Sunday school teacher had said about Jesus entering and exiting my heart based on my good or bad deeds.

What the Bible did show me was that God takes sin seriously and that He’s also in control of the world and His children. I began to see that God is not controlled either by my sin or by my good deeds. I learned that He is fully capable and willing to complete the good work of transformation He started in me.

Looking back at those years, I realize what I believed wasn’t far from what many Muslims believe. It turns out I was a lot like a Muslim.

Muslims believe God exists and that He can forgive them. But they’re not certain He will. So, they practice each of the five pillars of Islam like praying, fasting, and giving to the poor. They also try to do more good than bad—hoping for a pardon from sin.

Muslims believe God can forgive them. But they’re not certain He will.

Recently, I read about a Muslim woman’s desperate plea for reassurance of God’s forgiveness. She was told that doing good deeds might wipe out sins. If that failed, her sins could also be purged through the squeezing torment and terror that happen in the grave.

Like so many other Muslims, the woman was admonished to suspend herself between fear and hope—instead of seeking assurance of her salvation.

Reading these words, I am grateful to be part of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with Muslims. It’s the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16)—including men, women, and children from Muslim lands.

• Ask God to give you a fresh revelation of how Jesus has dealt with your sins, forgiven you, and promised to be with you forever.
• Pray for Muslims to be freed from seeking salvation and forgiveness apart from Christ.
• Ask the Lord to raise up more laborers to go and share the Good News with Muslims in their heartlands.