My thanks for this article to Guest blogger, Revd Samuel Green:

Muslims have told me that Allah/ God does not need any sacrifice to pay for our sins because he can simply forgive them. They say he is the God who forgives and nothing more is required than for him just to forgive.

However, this is not what the Qur’an says. The Qur’an is very clear that on judgment day our good and bad deeds will be weighed in the balance.

“Then those whose scales are heavy, they are the successful. And those whose scales are light are those who lose their souls, in hell abiding.” (Qur’an 23:102-103, Pickthall)

The Muslim belief is that they will be saved on judgment day because God will overlook their bad deeds and will multiple their good deeds by ten, thus in the scales they will have more good deeds.

So it is that we find in the Qur’an:

“(W)hoso bringeth a good deed will receive tenfold the like thereof, while whoso bringeth an ill-deed will be awarded but the like thereof; and they will not be wronged.” (Qur’an 6:160/161, Pickthall)

“Whoso bringeth a good deed will have better than it’s worth; and such are safe from fear that Day.” (Qur’an 27:89, Pickthall)

“Whoso bringeth a good deed, he will have better than the same; while as for him who bringeth an ill-deed, those who do ill-deeds will be required only what they did.” (Qur’an 28:84, Pickthall)

“And as for those who believe and do good works, We shall remit from them their evil deeds and shall repay them the best that they did.” (Qur’an 29:7, Pickthall)

“Those are they from whom We accept the best of what they do, and overlook their evil deeds. (They are) among the owners of the Garden. This is the true promise which they were promised (in the world).” (Qur’an 46:16, Pickthall)

“… And whoso scoreth a good deed We add unto its good for him. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Responsive.” (Qur’an 42:23, Pickthall)

Therefore, the Qur’an does not teach what so many Muslims affirm; that God simply forgives our sins. Instead, the Qur’an says that God will show favouritism to the Muslims in judgement. He will multiple their good deeds by ten and ignore their bad deeds.

This view of God is not taught in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, the Psalms or the Gospel. They all teach that God is just and will never corrupt justice. This is why God has provided a sacrifice for us. The sacrifice pays for our sins. The sacrifice is a just payment. On judgement day, Christians are saved, not by God ignoring their sin or multiplying the good by ten, instead they are saved because God himself has paid for their bad deeds. This is just and the testimony of the Law of Moses, the Prophets, the Psalms and the Gospel.

God presented him (Jesus) as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished – he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:25-26, NIV)

Forgiveness in Christianity is just and based on the perfect justice of God.

For a fuller discussion of this theme by Samuel, see, How can one man pay for the sins of another?

Also take a look at Revd Samuel Green’s articles on Answering Islam and  the Home page of the multilingual Answering Islam.