Daanish Malik, Student, Jamia Ahmadiyya Canada
How will you save yourself? It’s a question as old as man himself. Different faiths give their best attempt at answering this question, each claiming to be the best path to salvation. Our Christian brothers and sisters postulate that the only way to salvation is through Jesus Christ. References to the “good news” and being saved by Jesus are common. It is argued that the Bible clearly says: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
However, upon a closer glance we find a completely different narrative.
What is original sin?
To understand the reality of salvation, we have to go back to Adamas. In the book of Genesis, we find that after the creation of the heavens and earth, God created Adamas and his wife. They were commanded to refrain from eating the fruit of the forbidden tree but they gave into the temptation of the serpent and as a result committed the first act of disobeying God – the original sin.
Due to their transgression, God ordained the following punishments: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” (Genesis 3:15-16)
Christians claim that since Adamas and Eve were the first humans, we are all from their progeny and consequently have inherited this sin. The scales of justice required that a pure man – not from the progeny of Adamas – be sacrificed for the removal of this wrongdoing.
God out of his infinite grace then sent His own pure son, Jesus, to be sacrificed for the sake of humanity. It is through accepting him that man is delivered from damnation. This is the only means of true justice.
The reality is that this understanding of sin and deliverance contradicts logic and the Bible itself. It is the result of Pauline contamination into the pure message brought by Prophet Jesusas.
Can sin be inherited?
This notion is categorically rejected in the Bible. We find in the Law of Mosesas that everyone is responsible for their own conduct and will be judged accordingly. It is written:
“The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.” (Deuteronomy 24:16)
This verse clearly means no one can be held accountable for the actions of another. Everyone must stand for their own behaviour. If a drunk driver recklessly murders an innocent child, he will be held accountable. Another innocent individual cannot be punished for the crimes of the criminal. No sensible judge would allow it. What justice would be in the fact that the murderer was able to walk away free while someone else who had no relation to the crime would serve his punishment?
Would the child’s parents allow the murderer to walk free? Such a judge would be utterly devoid of wisdom. The purpose of punishment is to reform the transgressor so he learns not to repeat such an act. What is the benefit of letting someone else bear the weight of a sinner? In Christian society, both Jesus and the victims of crimes have to suffer with no recompense, while the criminals themselves can walk away freely.
Can a person absolve another?
This basic principle of an offender bearing his own punishment is understood by all rational and sound governments. Take for instance the United States. It is forbidden for another individual to serve a convicted felon’s sentence. There are clear laws set in place which ensure personal accountability.
The purpose of punishment is deterrence and rehabilitation. God does not need someone to be punished for a wrong. It is only out of His mercy and love for us that He punishes us so that we learn to not do the crime again. His divinity and grandeur is in no way affected by our disobedience to Him. It is so that we can foster a relationship with him that we have received a divine law from him.
Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IIra explains, “[It is] a means by which humankind could interact and have communion with Him; it forges the potentiality of individuals through their good conduct, thereby cleansing their souls so that they can develop a relationship with God Almighty.” (The Truth about Salvation, p. 12)
We find this beautiful point in the Holy Quran as well. God Almighty states:
“He who follows the right way follows it only for [the good of] his [own] soul: and he who goes astray, goes astray only to his [own] loss. And no bearer of burden shall bear the burden of another. We never punish until We have sent a Messenger.” (Surah Bani Isra’il, Ch.16: V.16)
It can even be argued that the Christian understanding of salvation is counterintuitive. Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmadrh, Khalifatul Masih IV, writes:
“How on earth, or heaven for that matter, could God forgive a sinful person merely because an innocent person has volunteered himself to take the punishment instead? The moment God does so, He violates the very fundamental principles of justice. A sinful person must suffer for his sins.” (Christianity: A Journey From Facts to Fiction, pp. 25-26)
This perspective of sin entails man can do all that he wills but God would let an innocent man suffer for their negligence. Does this mentality not foster a mindset of laxity and insolence? It implies that there is no need for spiritual struggle anymore. There is no need to treat fellow man with goodness. There is no recompense for the victims of heinous acts. A rational judge could never accept this much less God, the Greatest of all Judges. True justice requires that each soul is held accountable for its own actions.
We find the same sentiment in the Bible as well. It is written in the Old Testament:
“Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.” (Ezekiel 18:19-20)
Even if we ignore philosophy for a moment and just take a plain reading of the words of the Bible, it is exceedingly clear: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father. Goodness will be on whosoever does good and evil on who does evil. There is no transfer of good or evil.
That act which Adamas and Eve committed will remain with them. It will not be passed down to the future generations as such beliefs are clearly refuted by the Bible. Neither will the wrongs we commit be absolved by the suffering of Jesusas.
Is Jesus most qualified to be ransomed?
Even if we accept the premise of Christian salvation, we find that Jesus is not the best choice for man’s deliverance. A key part of their claim is that Jesusas was pure and sinless, thus a perfect sacrifice. There are numerous flaws in this argument. While Muslims revere Jesusas as a pure messenger of God, the Bible paints him in a different light. It is written in Job:
“What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?” (Job 15:14)
It is well-documented that Jesusas was born of a virgin birth to a human mother. In fact, it was Eve who committed the first sin and misled Adam. Thus the sin must be passed down through women. The aforementioned verse of the Bible makes it clear that he who is born of a woman cannot be righteous. Thus, according to the Bible, Jesus was not righteous. How is he worthy to be the perfect sacrifice?
Reading through the Bible, we find individuals who are apparently purer and better ransoms for the acquittal of man. For example, we read in Hebrews:
“For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.” (Hebrews 7:1-3)
Melchizedek is described as the king of righteousness and peace – born without mother and father. Is he not a far superior pick to ransom for mankind than Jesus? Jesus was the prince of peace, he was the king. But Jesus was born to a human mother, whereas Melichizdeck was born like Adam without mother or father. He is truly pure of all connection with the original sin, a perfect lamb God could’ve chosen.
Similarly, in Luke we find two perfect individuals who could also be sacrificed for man. It is written:
“There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” (Luke 1:5-6)
The Bible declares that Priest Zacharias and his wife righteous – they followed all the commandments, and were blameless, meaning sinless. This actually serves to prove that the original sin is not passed down, because God makes it clear that these two were sinless.
Regardless, why did God not sacrifice either of them instead of Jesus? Did God the All-Knowing forget about Melchizedek, Zacharias, and Elisabeth when choosing a sacrifice for man?
Rationality requires that all prophets be pure and righteous. If Jesus was the only pure human, the result is that all Prophets of the past were sinners. This is a contradiction. A sinner cannot lead others to piety. One who is blind cannot show others the truth. Thus, it is clear that many pure and righteous individuals must have passed for millennia for the sake of our guidance.
Jesus ran from his task
One must consider that despite salvation being the heart of Christian doctrine and the purpose of Jesus’ advent, he was reluctant to fulfill it. Why did Jesus attempt to evade the Jews for years? When he was caught, why did he beg the “Father” to be saved from this execution?
In the book of Matthew, we find that Jesus took his disciples to the garden of Gethsemane in a state of extreme sorrow and instructed them to pray. We read:
“And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matthew 26:39)
That night, he repeatedly woke his disciples up and told them to pray. If Jesus was ordained to fulfill this divine task, why was he so anxious? He prayed for hours and pleaded to God, “let this cup pass from me.” Additionally, if Jesus is God, then he should know that his sacrifice is for the good of man. However, he is clearly praying for it to pass.
Then again, in Hebrews 5:7 it is written: “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared.”
Again, here Jesus is begging God to be saved from death. This must mean that it was not his mission to die for man and become their means of salvation. Even as he was on the cross, he cried, “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:47)
No Prophet of God would utter this if he was in the midst of completing his divine appointment. The reality is that this was not Jesus’ task. Instead, he was sent to gather the lost tribes of Israel and preach the Law of Mosesas to them as is evident in John 10:16.
Jesus’ sacrifice does not balance the sins of humanity
If one were to take a look at the historical timeline of the Crucifixion, it is clear that Jesus was only on the cross for at most six hours. Even if we accept that Jesus’ sacrifice was fulfilled and he endured pain, suffering, and death for man, this would not mean much. Can a sacrifice of six hours equate to all the sins man has ever committed? Can the innumerable sins committed by billions be absolved in a few hours? While other criminals would be placed on the cross for days, Jesusas only endured this pain for a fraction of that time to cleanse the sins of billions. (For more details on this topic, please see Jesus in India by the Promised Messiahas, www.alislam.org)
Why does punishment continue?
Perhaps the most unfortunate part of this entire ordeal is that despite the sacrifice, God has forgotten his punishment and exceeded all bounds of injustice. It is clearly mentioned in the book of Genesis that for the sin of Adam, certain punishments will be administered. Logic clearly says that after the punishment is paid, then it should stop.
However, we find that even those Christians who have accepted Jesus continue to suffer the prescribed chastisement. Every believing woman has to endure the pains of rearing children. Believing men still have to work for their sustenance. Believing couples continue to have enmity in their relationships.
If you receive a traffic ticket, you know that once you pay the fine there will be no further penalty. If Jesus has paid the penalty of the original sinners, then why do believers in Jesus continue to face the same penalty? Man continues to suffer.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra was once speaking to a Christian missionary and raised the following point:
“If Atonement fails to mitigate punishment in the present life, how can it be expected to do so in the hereafter? According to Christians, these are the signs of salvation, and yet they do not appear to have been fulfilled on any Christians themselves, thereby nullifying the truth of the concept of atonement.” (The Truth about Salvation, p. 22)
Similarly, the Promised Messiahas illustrated:
“If belief in the Crucifixion of Christ was the only remedy for getting rid of sin, why has it failed in the case of the Europeans who indulge in such sinful acts that one is even ashamed to speak of them? […] Even in this short life, every doctor and patient sees to it that if a cure fails to produce the desired result within a week or so, it has to be replaced by a better alternative. Why then has this remedy [of Crucifixion] not been replaced to this day, even though its ineffectiveness has been categorically shown?” (How to be Free from Sin, p. 19)
Regarding the true nature of salvation, the Promised Messiahas explained:
“[No] one who is blind and has not been blessed with light can ever attain salvation through the blood of another. Salvation is not something specific to the Hereafter. True salvation begins in this very life. It is a light that descends upon the soul and reveals the path that leads to destruction. Tread the path of truth and wisdom so that you may be led to God, and strengthen your hearts so that you may move towards the truth.” (Ibid., p. 27)
Such is the folly of Christianity. The reality is that Jesusas cannot be considered a sacrifice for mankind; to assume otherwise goes against all rationale. The true concept of salvation is far simpler – repenting and striving to find God.