SEGMENT 5

The Greatest Gift

 The Most Important Question in the World

 There are many very important questions in life.  Who will I marry?  Where will I live?  What will my career be?  How much education will I get?  These are all very important questions, but they are not the most important question.  

 What is the most important question in the world?

The most important question is this – What will happen to me when I die?  The way I answer these other questions may affect me for the rest of my life, but how I answer this question will affect me forever!

There are many religions and many philosophies in the world.  All of them try to give some kind of answer to this question.  Some philosophers say that there is no Allah and that when we die, we simply cease to exist.   But Allah has put something in our hearts that tells us this is not true.  We read about this in the Before Scriptures:

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no Allah.”   Because that which may be known about Allah is clearly revealed in them; for Allah has shown it to them.  For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are created, that is, His eternal power and deity, so that they are without excuse.[1]

The rest of the religions and philosophies try to tell us how we can prepare for death and how we can have hope that we will go to be with Allah and enter His heaven.  They may have very different ideas about what Allah is like and what heaven is like, but they all seek to answer the most important question.  So we could state the most important question this way:

How can I know that I will go be with Allah and enter His heaven?

Is There a Sure Answer?

 It is interesting to notice that only the Injiil claims to give a certain answer to this question.  In the Injiil we read:

 These things I have written to you who believe in the Son of Allah that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may continue to believe in His name.[2]

I have spoken to many people from many different religions, and have asked many if they were certain that they would go to heaven.  The answer is almost always the same.  They say, “I hope so, but no one can know that for sure.”   Only followers of Isa who truly understand the truth of the Injiil say with certainty, “Yes, I know I will go to heaven.”

This should not surprise us.  Why? - Because, only the Injiil gives a different answer to the most important question in life.   All other religions and philosophies, in one form or another, give the same answer. And here is the answer they give:

“If I do enough good works, I think I will go to heaven.”

Why do they say that?   They say that because it seems right.  It seems right to you and it seems right to me.  It seems right to everyone.  If you ask anyone anywhere in the world what he thinks he must do to go to heaven, he will give you this same answer!  But the Bible (The Before Scriptures) warns us:

There is a way that seems right to a man but its end is the way of death.[3]

The problem with this answer is that it is not true!  It is the wrong answer!  Listen to what the Injiil says:

Whatever the Law says it says to those that are under the Law, that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before Allah.  Therefore by the works of the Law no one will be made right before Allah, for by the Law is the knowledge of sin.[4]

The Injiil plainly tells us that good works cannot make us right before Allah; they cannot get us ready to be in Allah’s presence in heaven.  Allah’s Law, given through Musa, revealed the way that He wants us to live and relate to Him and to other people.  But it also reveals something else about us.  It shows us that we cannot perfectly keep His law. 

Isa taught that the Law reveals our hearts to us.  He said the Law says we should not kill; but He said that if we hate others or speak evil of others we are guilty in our hearts of breaking this Law.  Isa said that the Law says not to commit adultery; but He said that if we look on a woman with lust, we have broken this law in our hearts.   The Law says that we should not covet, which means to lust or desire things that Allah has not given to us.  But we all know that in our hearts we desire many things that we do not have.  The Law reveals our hearts and shows us that we are guilty of breaking Allah’s Law and that we need forgiveness and mercy.  The Law shows us what the Injiil says: “We have all sinned and come short of the glory of Allah.” 

Suppose someone put poison in a half filled container of water.  Would filling the container with water make it safe to drink?  Of course not!  It is still poisoned, isn’t it?  Neither can good works remove the sin in our lives.   You can try to cover a bag of garbage with pretty gift wrapping, but it is still a bag of garbage.  You can try to cover a sinner with good works, but he is still a sinner.

The Injiil makes it very clear:  We have sinned against Allah and there is a penalty for sin.  But the Injiil also makes it very clear that Allah has provided all that is needed for us to have eternal life with Him in heaven.

For the wages (penalty) of sin is death, but the gift of Allah is eternal life through our Lord Isa Masih.[5]

If you do a job for someone you expect to receive the wages.  The wages of sin is death.  You have sinned; I have sinned; we all have sinned.  Someone must pay the penalty.  Either you must pay it or receive Isa’s payment for you.  If you pay the penalty it means that you will die and be eternally separated from Allah in hell.  If you receive Isa’s payment, you will be brought into right standing before Allah and you will go to heaven to be with Him when you die.  It is that simple!

But how do you receive this gift of eternal life in Isa?

The Injiil says that we receive it by faith. 

For by grace are you saved through faith and that it is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works so no one can boast. [6]

For Allah so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but will have everlasting life.  Allah did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world through Him might be saved.  He that believes in Him (Isa) is not condemned; he that does not believe is condemned already, because He has not believed in the name of the Son of Allah.[7]

 If you confess with your mouth the Lord Isa and believe in your heart that Allah has raised Him from the dead you shall be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.[8]

You must decide which answer you will believe – the answer that seems right to men or the answer that the Injiil tells us is the way of Allah.  Allah showed us the difference from the very beginning.  When Adam and Howa sinned they tried to cover their shame and guilt themselves with the leaves of the Garden.  It did not work.  Then Allah covered their shame with His Qurbani.  It was a picture of what was to come in Allah’s plan.  Will you seek the way that seems right to men and try to cover the guilt and shame of your sin by religious works; or will you receive the Qurbani of Allah – The Lord Isa Masih – as the covering for your sin.

Right now, wherever you are, you can receive Allah’s gift of eternal life through Isa.  How can you do that?  Just as He says, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”[9]

You can call upon Him in the name of Isa right now! 

Simply pray to Allah and call upon Him in the name of Isa:

 First, you must agree with Allah that you have sinned against Him and broken His Law.  As the Injiil says:

 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.

Then, ask Allah to forgive you of all your sins because Isa has died for your sins.  Confess that you believe that Isa has been raised from the dead and is Lord of all.  Ask Isa to become your Lord and ask Him to take control of your life.  Thank Allah for saving you and giving you faith in Isa.

Where Do I Go From Here?

If you have truly believed in Isa Masih and opened your heart to receive Him as your Lord and Savior you have the promise of eternal life from Allah Himself.  The Injiil says:

For Allah so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; he who does not believe shall not see life, but the wrath of Allah abides on him.

Through faith in Isa Masih, you can be sure of your place in heaven with Allah.  But what do you do now.  What is a follower of Isa Masih like; what does he or she do?  Go to the link titled “The True Follower of Isa”.   There you can see what the Injiil says about the follower of Isa. 

Also, you can go to the “contact us”.  From there, you can contact us and we will be glad to help you get an Injiil and provide you further information that will help you in your new life as a follower of Isa Masih.