Answering Islam - A Christian-Muslim dialog

Who Are The People That Christ Saves From Their Sins?

Sam Shamoun

Some Muslims have attempted to use the following texts,

“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:21

“But He answered and said, ‘I was sent ONLY to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’” Matthew 15:24

“Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.’” Luke 19:9-10

To prove that the only people Jesus came to save from their sins were/are the Israelites, the children of Abraham. The purpose of citing such texts that seem to suggest that Jesus wasn’t sent to deliver the Gentiles from their transgressions is to get Christians to see that even their own Scriptures testify that Christ didn’t come for them. In this way the Muslims are hoping that the Christians will come to accept that Muhammad is the only prophet who was sent for the entire human race (and the jinn as well) with the only message or religion that actually saves, namely, Islam:

Truly, the religion with Allah is Islam. Those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians) did not differ except, out of mutual jealousy, after knowledge had come to them. And whoever disbelieves in the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, signs, revelations, etc.) of Allah, then surely, Allah is Swift in calling to account. S. 3:19

And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers. S. 3:85

And We have sent you (O Muhammad) not but as a mercy for the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists). S. 21:107

We have decided to respond to such claims in order to show that nothing could be further from the truth since these passages teach the exact opposite point if they are read in the context of the Gospels, as well as the Holy Bible as a whole.

To begin with, these very citations testify to the Deity of Christ since they ascribe to him the unique functions and roles that the Hebrew Bible ascribes to Yahweh God.

For instance, it is Yahweh who shall redeem his people Israel from their transgressions,

“O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption. And He willredeem Israel From all his iniquities.” Psalm 130:7-8

And he is the One who shall personally come to search for his lost sheep:

“For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I MYSELF will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.” Ezekiel 34:11-16

Hence, the very texts which are meant to deny Christ’s universal mission and significance actually end up proving that he is God in the flesh since they affirm that he does the works which only God can and shall do. Since the NT identifies Christ as God then this means that his mission is not limited to Israel, but includes all the nations that he has created for his glory and purpose, just as the following citations confirm:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men… There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him… And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-4, 9-11, 14

“For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created through Him and FOR Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.” Colossians 1:13-20

This brings me to my second point. Matthew plainly testifies that Gentiles are part of the very people whom Christ came to save. This is why Matthew depicts wise men from the east coming to worship the child Jesus in recognition of his status as the divinely appointed King:

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.’… And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.’ After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Matthew 2:1-2, 8-12

This partially fulfills the testimony of the Psalms that the nations must come bringing gifts and fall at the feet of God’s Anointed King in worship; otherwise they will suffer his wrath if they refuse to do so:

“Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, ‘Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!’ He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, ‘But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.’ ‘I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.”’ Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” Psalm 2:1-12

“Give the king Your judgments, O God, And Your righteousness to the king's son… May he also rule from sea to sea And from the River to the ends of the earth. Let the nomads of the desert bow before him, And his enemies lick the dust. Let the kings of Tarshish and of the islands bring presents; The kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. And let all kings bow down before him, All nations serve him… So may he live, and may the gold of Sheba be given to him; And let them pray for him continually; Let them bless him all day long… May his name endure forever; May his name increase as long as the sun shines; And let men bless themselves by him; Let all nations call him blessed.” Psalm 72:1, 8-11, 15, 17

The Psalmists weren’t the only inspired writers to speak of the universal significance and reign of the Messiah, since Matthew quotes the prophet Isaiah making a similar prediction:

“Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Many followed him, and he healed all their sick, warning them not to tell who he was. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ‘Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory. IN HIS NAME THE NATIONS WILL PUT THEIR HOPE.’” Matthew 12:15-21 NIV

Jesus himself informed his followers that a time would come when they would be brought before governors and kings in order to proclaim the Gospel to the Gentiles:

“But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them AND TO THE GENTILES. But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.” Matthew 10:17-20

He further proclaimed that the Gospel would be preached throughout the entire world before the end of the OT age:

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in THE WHOLE WORLD as a testimony TO ALL NATIONS, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14

He even prophesied that the story of the woman who had come to pour costly perfume over his head in preparation for his burial would be preached throughout the world along with the message of the Gospel:

“Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table. But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, "Why this waste? ‘For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.’ But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, ‘Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me. For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me. For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached IN THE WHOLE WORLD, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.’" Matthew 26:6-13

And let us not forget “The Great Commission” where Jesus instructs the disciples to go forth and make disciples of all the nations:

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples OF ALL NATIONS, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” Matthew 28:18-20

Matthew wasn’t the only Evangelist to proclaim that the Gentiles are a part of the very people whom Jesus came to deliver from their lawless ways, since Luke taught the same message.

According to Luke, a man named Simeon who was filled with the Holy Spirit prophesied that Jesus is the salvation which God promised to send for both the Jews and the Gentiles:

“And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, ‘Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen YOUR SALVATION, Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And the glory of Your people Israel.’” Luke 2:25-32

Simeon’s words echo what the prophet Isaiah wrote centuries prior concerning the Messianic Servant of Yahweh whom God promised to send in order to bring his salvation to the ends of the earth:

“Listen to Me, O islands, And pay attention, you peoples from afar. The LORD called Me from the womb; From the body of My mother He named Me. He has made My mouth like a sharp sword, In the shadow of His hand He has concealed Me; And He has also made Me a select arrow, He has hidden Me in His quiver. He said to Me, ‘You are My Servant, Israel, In Whom I will show My glory.’ But I said, ‘I have toiled in vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity; Yet surely the justice due to Me is with the LORD, And My reward with My God.’ And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him (For I am honored in the sight of the LORD, And My God is My strength), He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You A LIGHT OF THE NATIONS SO THAT MY SALVATION MAY REACH TO THE END OF THE EARTH.’ Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One, To the despised One, To the One abhorred by the nation, To the Servant of rulers, ‘Kings will see and arise, Princes will also bow down, Because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.’” Isaiah 49:1-7

And just as we find in Matthew, Luke’s writings record Christ commissioning his disciples to proclaim to all the nations that forgiveness of sins and salvation come from believing in the name of the Lord Jesus:

“Now He said to them, ‘These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name TO ALL NATIONS, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.’ And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy.” Luke 24:44-52

“So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, ‘Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?’ He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even TO THE REMOTEST PART OF THE EARTH.’” Acts 1:6-8

This explains why the Apostles such as Peter went around preaching to both Jews and Gentiles that salvation is only found in the name of the Lord Jesus:

“On the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent. When they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire, ‘By what power, or in what name, have you done this?’ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead – by this name this man stands here before you in good health. He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.’" Acts 4:5-12

“And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. Of Him ALL THE PROPHETS bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” Acts 10:42-43

“After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, ‘Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.’" Acts 15:7-11

All of these texts perfectly comport with the Gospel of John, which teaches that Jesus is the Lamb and unique Son of God, as well as the Light that was sent from God to save the world by taking away its sin through his sacrificial death on the cross:

“The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” John 1:29

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” John 3:16-17

“From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, ‘He told me all the things that I have done.’ So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. Many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.’” John 4:39-42

“This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for THE LIFE OF THE WORLD is My flesh.” John 6:50-51

I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.” John 12:46-47

In light of the foregoing, could the Gospels be any clearer that Christ’s people whom he came to save also include countless numbers of Gentiles, not just the Jews?

“And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.’” Revelation 5:9-10

“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, AND TO THE LAMB.’ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, ‘Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.’ Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, ‘These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?’ I said to him, ‘My lord, you know.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.’” Revelation 7:9-17

So much for this common Muslim perversion of the Holy Scriptures!

Unless noted otherwise, all scriptural references taken from the New American Standard Version (NASB) of the Holy Bible.


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