Justified by Faith Alone

We are justified by faith alone, and not in works. Faith is defined as believing and trusting in Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross for us. By putting our faith in Him and His death on the cross, our sins are forgiven. There is nothing we can do to gain forgiveness of sins except to believe and trust in Jesus Christ. It is not by following the works and deeds as commanded in Shariah Law that we attain forgiveness of sins and the gift of paradise. Instead it is by putting our trust in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross that we attain forgiveness of sins and the gift of paradise.

So where do works come in? Well, works come as a result of our faith. A faith without works is no faith at all. Just as children should obey their parents out of love, and not to earn rewards, so too should we as children of God obey Him because we love Him, and not to earn forgiveness and acceptance. If we trust in Jesus Christ for our salvation, then we already have forgiveness. Jesus Christ accepts us for who we are. We are His creation, and thus He loves us, just as a mother who gives birth to a child loves her child. Even if that child does things that the mother does not approve of, she still loves her child. To believe that Allah does not love those who do wrong as the Qur'an teaches, makes a mother look better than God, and we both know how blasphemous it would be to say we are better than God in any way. If we love our children even when they do wrong, then why doesn’t God love those who do wrong? Is it a sin to love our children when they do wrong? Of course not.

It is not by fasting during Ramadan that you attain forgiveness and paradise. It is not by praying five times a day that you attain forgiveness and paradise. It is not through good manners and hospitality that you attain forgiveness and paradise. It is not performing the Hajj to Mecca at the proper time that you attain forgiveness and paradise. It is not through dying as a martyr for the sake of Allah that you attain forgiveness and paradise. It is only through trusting in Jesus Christ and His death on the cross as the perfect sacrifice to pay the ultimate price for your sins that you attain forgiveness and paradise.

After establishing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, making Him your Lord and Savior, and choosing to die to self and live for Him, only then do your works become of value and those works are the result of your faith and your love for Allah.