The world’s population is almost eight billion people. More than half of these eight billion believe in Jesus. That makes more than four billion people who believe in Jesus. These believers believe that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, and they believe that Jesus was a great prophet of God who performed extraordinary miracles. However, not all of these believers believe the same thing. Roughly half of those who believe that Jesus was a great prophet who performed extraordinary miracles, do not believe that Jesus is the son of God who died on the cross for our sins.
You might be asking, who are these believers? What kind of Christians don’t believe Jesus died on the cross?
Good question. The answer is, they’re not Christians, they’re Muslims. You may not know this, but the majority of Muslims believe that Jesus is a great prophet who was born of the virgin Mary and performed great miracles. These Muslims revere Jesus, but (and this is a big ‘BUT’) they do not believe that Jesus is the son of God who died on the cross for our sins.
So, if Jesus didn’t die on the cross, what happened to him? What do Muslims believe happened to Jesus?
Although there is some variation of Islamic traditions, the majority of Muslims believe that God took Jesus directly to heaven while he was still alive. According to this Islamic theory, Jesus never died. God took him to heaven. It’s similar to the story in the Bible where God takes the prophet Elijah to heaven.
Muslims don’t deny that there was a crucifixion, but they say that it wasn’t Jesus who was crucified. Most Muslims believe that it was someone who looked like Jesus who was crucified. They believe that God changed the appearance of a man and made him look like Jesus, and it was this unwilling imposter who was arrested, put on trial, and nailed to the cross where he died.
Why is this story important? Why should you care if Muslims don’t believe Jesus died on the cross?
The reason why this issue is important is that it gets to the heart of what it means to be a Christian. The Bible is the only book that tells us about Jesus’ death and resurrection. Only in the Bible do we read that Jesus is the son of God who died on the cross for the forgiveness of sins. The Apostle Paul says: “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 (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).”
If Jesus didn’t die on the cross, there is no forgiveness of sins. That means no one will get into heaven.
Each one of us has a choice as to what to believe about Jesus. You can believe secular atheists who say that Jesus was only a man, and his death on the cross has no significance. There is no heaven or hell, so it doesn’t matter what you believe.
You can believe Muslims who say Jesus didn’t die on the cross. If you want to get to heaven you have to become a Muslim and hope that God will accept your good deeds. Or you can do what I did. You can believe that Jesus is the son of God who died on the cross for the forgiveness of sins.
What better time to believe in Jesus? As we celebrate Easter, Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, you can put your faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).” Turn to Jesus today. Put your faith in Jesus. Only Jesus can forgive your sins and give you an eternal home in heaven.
I hope that you’ve enjoyed today’s episode of the Attic Fables Podcast. Until next time, remember, no matter who you are, no matter where you’re from, no matter what you’ve done, God loves you.
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