4. The Injeel teaches that God is Merciful
God’s mercy sought to provide an answer to this problem. God wants to fellowship with us, his creation, but sin has created a gulf between him and us. Only a righteous person can cross over the gulf to God. However, we have already established that everyone has sinned and fallen short!
Everyone, that is, except Jesus Christ. The Injeel teaches that Jesus Christ is the only bridge between a Holy God and Sinful humans. Why Jesus and not anyone else?
Miraculous Birth
The Injeel teaches that Jesus Christ was not the son of a human father, but was conceived in the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. He was the only person to be born of a virgin. Jesus Christ’s birth was not a result of the will of man, but the will of God.
Jesus Christ is unique in his miraculous birth. No prophet or leader has been born from a virgin. All prophets claimed that they were just humans, while Jesus Christ claimed that he was the “Word of God,” “Kalimat Allah.” God’s power is responsible for this miracle.
“But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.’
‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’ The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”’
– Luke 1:30 - 37
Miraculous Life
Jesus Christ lived a life of purity and honesty. He was obedient to the laws of God throughout his life. Jesus Christ taught like no one else and miraculously healed every weakness and disease. He was sinless from birth and was considered the greatest teacher that ever lived.
“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, the epileptics and the paralytics, and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.”
– Matthew 4:23-25
Miraculous Death
Jesus Christ did not come to earth merely to be a good teacher or healer. He came to be the sacrifice of God. Jesus Christ is righteous, sinless from birth, his death alone can pay the penalty. He came to redeem humanity from its fallen state. The Injeel clearly states that all have sinned against God and are in need of salvation. Salvation means to be pardoned by God because someone paid the penalty that we could not pay ourselves.
Jesus Christ is the only righteous one and he willingly paid the debt we owe. Humans are dead in sin.Sin is the gulf that separates us from God. Jesus Christ was crucified, and died as a righteous sacrifice for the human race. Just as Abraham sacrificed a ram instead of his son, Jesus on the cross was the sacrifice to pay the penalty of the sin of all mankind. The sheep died so the son of Abraham may be set free; likewise, Jesus died so we can be set free. For just as God redeemed the son of Abraham with a ram, God redeemed the world through Jesus Christ.
As Muslims sacrifice a sheep at Al-Adha, and the Israelites sacrificed a sheep during Passover in Egypt, so God made Jesus Christ the perfect sacrifice for our sins.
Jesus became the true Adha. He was the Lamb of God to lift away the sins of the world. John the Baptist (known as the prophet “Yahya”) prophesied when he saw Jesus and said:
“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
– John 1:29
Through Jesus Christ, God bridged the gulf that separated us from him.
“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”
– 2 Corinthians 5:18
The justice of God was satisfied, for the penalty of sin was paid. The mercy of God was satisfied, for humans have redemption.
Miraculous Resurrection
Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sin, so we may have fellowship with God.
Jesus Christ is righteous and did not deserve death. He is the Word of God, “Kalimat Allah.” Jesus is the incarnate Word of God becoming the sacrifice for our salvation.
Christ rose from the dead on the third day according to prophecy. Christ’s resurrection proved that his sacrifice was acceptable to God.
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance; that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.”
– I Corinthians 15: 3-6
Christians around the world celebrate the Adha and the Passover in one glorious celebration of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ (known in English as “Easter” and in Arabic as “Id Al-Qiama.”) This is the Adha and Passover come true!
These holy events were object lessons God used so we could understand true redemption. The Bible says that the blood of calves and sheep will not wash away sins and that all our good works are like filthy rags compared to God’s righteousness. No one can possibly pay the huge debt that is owed to God.
The good news is: God sent Jesus Christ to be the sacrificial lamb of God who takes the sins of the world.
Jesus is Our True Adha!
To illustrate: A friend of mine asks me to watch his house while he travels. While he is away, I accidentally destroy his furniture but I wash his car before he returns. Would that cover the cost of replacing the furniture? No! If I ask my friend to have mercy and forgive me for destroying his furniture, since I washed the car, is it acceptable? No! It has nothing to do with the destroyed furniture.
Even if he forgave me, my friend still has to pay for new furniture. Likewise our good works are not righteous enough compared to God’s righteousness. Our good works, will never erase sin, for we are expected to do good and obey God’s commandments. Our good works are not to be used to barter away our sins.
Our sin insults God’s righteousness. Only Jesus’ sacrificial work can suffice. Only the Christian Adha covers the debt of our sin and bridges the gap.
The Christian Adha is available to everyone, for Christ came to save all people, of all nations and races. Through Christ we can cross over to fellowship with God and experience His love and redemption.