Response to Misha'al'al Al-Kadhi: Does God need a 'blood atonement'?

Introductory remark

Muslims often ask: "Why can't God forgive sin without sacrifice?"

This is the wrong question! There is nothing God can't do. To suggest that God is not omnipotent is blasphemy.

The question should be: "Why won't God forgive sin without sacrifice?"

We will try to give a good answer to this good question.

In his chapter on Blood Atonement, Mr. Al-Kadhi makes a few statements that warrant further investigation before we get to the main point:

• Paul invented the doctrine of original sin, as foundation for the doctrine of atonement.
• He misquotes Jesus to prove that Jesus was just a man, and yet he could forgive sin!
• He quotes from the old Testament to prove that sacrifice is not necessary for forgiving sin, but that good works are.

Paul invented the doctrine of original sin, as foundation for the doctrine of atonement.

To introduce the subject of original sin, I urge serious readers to read the following article: It was harvested from an Islamic web page and comments were added to explain the Christian viewpoint.

Quotations from the book are in green.

Paul claimed that God Almighty had created mankind inherently sinful and as inheritors of "the sin of Adam." He claimed that this hereditary burden was so great that the creator of all of the heavens and earth, and yes, the creator of the concepts of sin and forgiveness themselves, could not forgive this sin. This, in Paul's estimation, was beyond God's capabilities.

Paul claimed that God Almighty had created mankind inherently sinful ...

Romans 5:12

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

The Bible teaches that God created Mankind (Adam and Eve) in His own moral Image (Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image...). Adam and Eve were totally pure and holy. But because of their sin, they were cast from Paradise and thus separated from God. We, their offspring were born, not in Paradise (the Presence of God), but separated from Him. Through Adam mankind has become separated from God, and we lost our ability to be sinless.

Islam agrees that we are morally weak and prone to sin, even if we so choose, but since Islam denies the doctrine of original sin, we must conclude that we are this way because God created us this way. Islam claims by implication that God created us weak! Since "Inherently sinful" in my book equals "unable to remain sinless by nature" I must conclude that Islam teaches that God created us inherently sinful. So why does he blame Paul for teaching this??

One comment: We are Not "inheritors of "the sin of Adam"" Adam's sin was his alone, but we do live with the consequences of his sin, just like a baby born with Aids lives with the consequences of her parents' sin.

This, in Paul's estimation, was beyond God's capabilities.

So where does the doctrine of Original sin come from? It was written down in the Taurat centuries before Paul was even born:
Genesis 3:

17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Did Jesus teach that we are inherently sinful?
Luke 5:

30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

The Christology of Al-Kadhi

So it stands to reason that what is easy for Jesus (pbuh) is trivial and inconsequential for God Almighty Himself. Thus, if Jesus (pub) can forgive sins with the utmost ease simply by uttering the words "your sins are forgiven you,"

Wow! Mr. Al-Kadhi believes Jesus is just a normal man like you and me, and for this normal mortal man it is easy, in fact "trivial" to forgive sin! Mr. Al-Kadhi, since you believe the forgiveness of sin is trivial and easy for a human, why don't you start forgiving other peoples sin? Or you could start with yourself. at least you will have certainty about your salvation then!

I don't mean to offend with this bit of sarcasm! I just want to point out the obvious: To concede that Jesus has the power to forgive sin is to concede to his Deity. Only God can forgive us our sins!

Not even Mohammed could forgive sin. In fact, he had to ask forgiveness for his own sin:
Sura 47:19

Know, therefore, that there is no god but Allah, and ask forgiveness for thy fault, and for the men and women who believe: For Allah knows how ye move about and how ye dwell in your homes.

Finally, we know that Jesus (pub) gets his power from God: "I can of mine own self do nothing...,"
John 5:30

7 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.
21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:

23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;

27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

31 If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
32 There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.
33 Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth.
34 But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved.
35 He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.
36 But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.
37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
38 And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.
39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
41 I receive not honour from men.
42 But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.
43 I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.
44 How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?
45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.
46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.
47 But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?

40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

What the Bible teaches about the sin offering.

The doctrine of Blood Atonement was fully developed in the Taurat centuries before the birth of Paul.

Leviticus 17:

11 "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul."

The practical way in wich Blood Atonement was done was through the Sin Offering:
Leviticus 5:

17 "And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of theLORD; though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.
18 And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and wist it not, and it shall be forgiven him.
19 It is a trespass offering: he hath certainly trespassed against the LORD. "

The words "sin offering" appear one hundred and seven times in the Taurat, Zabur and Prophetic writings. The words "tresspass offering" appear thirty three times. That gives a total of one hundred and forty times! (King James translation).

In the Jusuf Ali translation of the Qur'an, "pilgrimage" appears 7 times, "alms" appears 3 times, "fast" or "fasting" appears 21 times, and "prayer" appears 85 times.

Yet nobody can dispute the importance of say, the Hajj, in the religion of Islam. In the same way it would be dishonest to dispute the importance of the sin offering in the religion of the Old Testament.

Here is an example of how the sin offering was practised in the day to day life of the believers of Old Testament times:

2 Chronicles 29

20 Then Hezekiah the king rose early, and gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of the LORD.
21 And they brought seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he goats, for a sin offering for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And he commanded the priests the sons of Aaron to offer them on the altar of the LORD.
22 So they killed the bullocks, and the priests received the blood, and sprinkled it on the altar: likewise, when they had killed the rams, they sprinkled the blood upon the altar: they killed also the lambs, and they sprinkled the blood upon the altar.
23 And they brought forth the he goats for the sin offering before the king and the congregation; and they laid their hands upon them:
24 And the priests killed them, and they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel: for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel.

The meaning of the sin offering.

Leviticus 5:

17 "And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of theLORD; though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.
18 And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and wist it not, and it shall be forgiven him.
19 It is a trespass offering: he hath certainly trespassed against the LORD. "

"... he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity. "

2) Because God loves us, He provided a way for the guilt to be removed.
Please take note: The way He provides, according to this verse, is not that the sinner should do good works or prove himself in any way worthy of forgiveness, but to bring a sacrifice.
This implies something very important: Good deeds, or even good intentions cannot remove the guilt of sin, because then the sin offering would have been totally unnecessary!
The reason for this is simple: The law of God demands complete obedience to the law. Even though it is in theory possible to go to heaven becaused you have never sinned, the harsh reality is that since Adam was cast from paradise, no human being has ever been without sin. (Except one...) There can be no salvation through keeping the law simply because no one can keep the law!

3) The process of atonement through sin offering is initiated by God. It is an act of God. In this sense, there is absolutely no cost involved for the sinner.
The only prerequisites for forgiveness of sin by sin offering are:

• You must realise that you are a sinner and in need of atonement. Somebody who believes that he is sinless or can save himself by good works will not feel the need for atonement, and therefore would not bring the offering. Somebody who does not realise or refuses to accept that he is ill will not visit the hospital, and therefore will not be cured. This is why so much emphasis is laid in the Bible on confession of sin.
• You must believe and trust God when He says that He will forgive your sin. In the Old Testament, the act of bringing an animal to slaughter was the external sign of this faith.

21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

It is very clear that the sacrificial animal bears the punishment of the sinner's sin in his place. The life of the sinner is substituted for that of the sacrificial animal!

It is extremely important to realize that it is not the ritual that saves the sinner, (we do not believe in magic) but that it is God who forgives the sinner freely, out of loving grace, based on the symbolism of the ritual. Since the life of an animal can never pay for the life of a human being, the ritual is a symbol of something else: If you read Isaiah 53, you will see that the Messiah would be the Perfect Sin Offering.

5) The outcome of this meeting between sinner and God is allways absolutely certain:

"... and it shall be forgiven him."

6) The result of this free forgiveness is always the conversion of the sinner. Being confronted with his own sin, and then with the unimagineable love and mercy of God will bring the redeemed to enter into a relationship of love with his Redeemer. The seperation between man and God that happened when Adam sinned in Paradise is removed. Turning to God to accept His forgiveness always means turning away from sin! Living in the grace of the Blood Atonement, man becomes what God had always intended Him to be: Holy.

If the life of the person does not reflect this new relationship with God it is safe to say that his faith was not real: The sacrifice was not brought because he wanted to be cleansed of his sin, but for some selfish reason. In the same manner one cannot bring the sacrifice and try to earn your salvation by being "good". This would nullify the whole point of the sacrifice!

Mr. Al-Kadhi's quotations from the old Testament to "prove" that blood atonement is not needed for the forgiving of sin.

I have to stress the point, that the sin offering had the same prominence in the cultic life of Israel that the Shahada, Saum, Salaat, Zakaat, and Hajj has in Islam today. I will not adress every one of the quotations, and the following one I will use to illustrate my point further. The verse in green is the one quoted.

Isaiah 43:

21 This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.

22 But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.

23 Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense.

24 Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.
25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
26 Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.

Misha'al, this is what God tells you in this verse: I forgive you your sin not because of who you are, but because of who I am. Because I love you more than you can ever imagine. And even though you can never deserve My Love or forgiveness, I offer it to you freely "...for mine own sake..."!

So come and accept it, so that you may be justified. (Verse 26)

This verse is an open invitation to Israel of the Old Testament, and everybody who reads it today to accept to unconditional love and forgiveness that God offers on the basis of the sin offering!

Jeremiah 36:3

"It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin."

"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."

"I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah."

In the following verses it may seem as if God does not want the sacrifice. If you read carefully, you will see that He did not want the sacrifices because they were brought for the wrong reasons! There was no acknowledgement of sin, no repentance and no real plea for forgiveness. The acts were hipocritical: they were empty ritual!

Isaiah 1:11-18

"To what purpose [is] the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of
rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come to
appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an
abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; [it is] iniquity(sin), even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear [them]. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many
prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from
before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead
for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as
white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

Has Islam ever taught that one can be that certain of forgiveness of sin?

The above quotation is from the prophet Isaiah, so let us have a quick look ar what this same prophet taught about the sin offering, or blood atonement:

Isaiah 53:

4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

The night before his crucifixion, Jesus celebrated the passover with his disciples. This is what he told them:

Matthew 26:

26 "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
28 For this is my blood of the new testament (or covenant), which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

So, why won't God forgive sin without sacrifice?

• God is Holy
• God is Just

Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy

The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.

44 "For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
45 For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy."

"Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy."

"Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God."

"And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine."

"For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee. "

1 " In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

16" And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

1 Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:
3 Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.
4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are just: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

"....for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die".

"For the wages of sin is death..."

"Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?"

3 When you were dead in your sins, and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
14 having cancelled the written code, with all its regulations that was against us and that stood opposed to us: he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

Romans 8:1

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.

For if, when we were enemies (of God), we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

May you too know the peace of being reconciled to God...

The Rebuttal to "What Did Jesus Really Say?"
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