[S I M T A N]

There are fundamental differences between the core beliefs of the Qur'an and the Bible. One glaring difference: the Quran teaches that God does not love sinners and that people obtain salvation when their good works outweigh their bad works. It means people are judged by their deeds.

The Bible, on the other hand, teaches that God loves sinners and that salvation comes to us solely through the grace of God. The Bible says, "There's none righteous, no, not one." "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves." The bottom line is, we're all unrighteous and we all need the grace and forgiveness God offers.

If we're able to achieve righteousness through works, then God owes us a reward. But God owes us nothing. "But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness." There are no outward acts that we can do to attain righteousness, so it'd be fruitless to do this or that.

It's true our good deeds reap eternal reward, but NOT if we do good works only in hopes of achieving righteousness. As far as the Christian faith is concerned, the only way to be righteous is to receive, by faith, the righteousness of God. God does not refer to us in Scripture as sinners but saints who can choose to sin. Obviously, Christian maturity is a factor in our ability to stand against temptation.

Christians and Muslims are poles apart theologically. Instead of spending much of my time defending my beliefs in an unprofitable debate, I'd rather spend my precious time seeking the truth. "The truth shall make you free." (John 8:32)