"And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and
it was noised that he was in the house. And straightway many
were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to
receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached
the word unto them. And they come unto him, bringing one sick of
the palsy, which was borne of four. And when they could not come
nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he
was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed
wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith,
he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven
thee. But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and
reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak
blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? And immediately
when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within
themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in
your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the sick of the
palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up
thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man
hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of
the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go
thy way into thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the
bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all
amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this
fashion."
Mark 2:1-12
As seen in chapter one, when Paul came with his new and
innovative ideas on how to improve upon the message of Jesus (pbuh),
he began by dropping specific commandments. This continued until
he decided that his alleged "visions" were sufficient authority
to completely discard all of the commandments which both prophet
Moses as well as prophet Jesus (pbut) both observed
very strictly throughout their lives. The fact that both of
these prophets are well known to have spent their lives
commanding their followers to uphold these laws and commandments
is casually brushed aside by "St. Paul." His "visions," we are
told, are higher in authority than the commands of Jesus (pbuh)
during his lifetime.
Once Paul was finished nullifying the law of God through
Moses and Jesus and simplifying the religion for
them he began to get many converts. This is because his
"Christianity" only required "faith" and no actual work (Romans 3:28). But faith without work was too flimsy a concept to build
one's whole way of life around. Paul needed a stupendous and
monumental event to have faith IN order for his
claims to be accepted by anyone. Thus the original sin and the
atonement were born.
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 preached that the only way the creator of the
heavens and the earth and everything in-between could forgive
this sin was to have his sinless "only begotten son" beaten,
spat on, stripped, whipped, cut, humiliated, and finally killed
in the most gruesome and drawn-out way known to man at the time;
by hanging on the cross, and thus becoming a curse
upon mankind.
"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law,
being made a curse for us:
for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree"
Galatians 3:13:
Only then would God be able to forgive this sin.
However, if we were to read the words of Jesus (pbuh) in Mark
2:9 we would find that Jesus (pbuh) informs us that for him to
tell a man that his sins are forgiven is much easier than to
cure a paralytic and cause him to walk, and since Jesus (pbuh)
had the power to cure paralytics, therefore, he demonstrates to
us that forgiving sins is much easier for him.
However, we already know that God Almighty the "Father" of
all believers
"And call no [man] your father upon the earth: for one is
your Father, which is in heaven"
Matthew 23:9
We further know that God Almighty is greater in power than
all humans, inluding Jesus:
"..my Father is greater than I",
John 14:28
Finally, we know that Jesus (pbuh) gets his power from God:
"I can of mine own self do nothing...,"
John 5:30
"Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a
man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs,
which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also
know:"
Acts 2:22
So it stands to reason that what is easy for Jesus (pbuh) is
trivial and inconsequential for God Almighty Himself. Thus, if
Jesus (pbuh) can forgive sins with the utmost ease simply by
uttering the words "your sins are forgiven you," then it is well
within the ability of God Almighty Himself to do the same simply
by willing it, even without uttering a word. Indeed, we can even
read in the Bible:
"Who [is] a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity,
and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage?
he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth [in]
mercy."
Micah 7:18
"Nevertheless, He (God), [being] full of compassion,
forgave [their] iniquity, and destroyed [them] not: yea, many a
time turned He His anger away, and did not stir up all his
wrath. For He remembered that they [were but] flesh; a wind that
passeth away, and cometh not again."
Psalm 78:38-39
"I, [even] I, [am] he that blotteth out thy transgressions
for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins."
Isaiah 43:25
Well, how then does God Almighty forgive our sins? Is He able
to simply say "you are forgiven" to those who turn to Him in
repentance or must He first sacrifice a sinless individual
before He can do this? To get the answer let us read the Bible:
"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."
Jeremiah 36:3
"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."
Isaiah 55:7
"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."
Psalm 32:5
"By mercy and truth iniquity is purged..."
Proverbs 16:6
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble
themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their
wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive
their sin, and will heal their land."
2 Chronicles 7:14
"But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he
hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is
lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All
his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be
mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he
shall live. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should
die? saith the Lord GOD: [and] not that he should return from
his ways, and live? But when the righteous turneth away from his
righteousness, and committeth iniquity, [and] doeth according to
all the abominations that the wicked [man] doeth, shall he live?
All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned:
in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he
hath sinned, in them shall he die. Yet ye say, The way of the
Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way
equal? are not your ways unequal? When a righteous [man] turneth
away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth
in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. Again,
when the wicked [man] turneth away from his wickedness that he
hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he
shall save his soul alive. Because he considereth, and turneth
away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he
shall surely live, he shall not die. Yet saith the house of
Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are
not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal? Therefore I will
judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,
saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn [yourselves] from all your
transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin."
Ezekiel18:21-30
"To do righteousness and justice [is] more acceptable to
the LORD than sacrifice."
Proverbs 21:3
"For I (God) desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the
knowledge of God more than burnt offerings."
Hosea 6:6
"Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, [and] bow myself
before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt
offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the LORD be pleased
with thousands of rams, [or] with ten thousands of rivers of
oil? shall I give my firstborn [for] my transgression, the fruit
of my body [for] the sin of my soul? He hath shewed thee, O man,
what [is] good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to
do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"
Micah 6:6-8
"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, 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."
Isaiah 1:11-18
This is indeed the teachings of Islam. In the Qur'an, we are
told that mankind were created to inhabit the earth. When Adam
and Eve were first created, they were allowed to abide
in the garden. However, soon after they ate from the tree and
God sent them down to earth. Once Adam realized his error he was
remorseful and repentant, however, he was the first man. He did
not know how to repent or how to seek forgiveness. So, God
Almighty provided him with a revelation teaching him how to ask
for God's forgiveness. Adam did so and God accepted Adam's
repentance. God did not mandate gruesome and torturous blood
sacrifices of the sinless or anything else. He simply forgave
Adam's sin. We can read this story in the Qur'an:
"And We said: O Adam! Dwell you and your wife
in the Paradise, and eat from it freely with pleasure and
delight wherever you will, but do not approach this tree or you
both will be of the wrongdoers. But Satan made them slip
therefrom (the Paradise), such that he expelled them from that
in which they were. And we said: Decend, all, with enmity
between yourselves. On earth will be a dwelling place for you
and an enjoyment until a time. Then Adam received from his Lord
words (of revelation), and He pardoned him. Verily! He is the
Forgiving, the Merciful. We said: Decend, all of you, from
hence; but whenever there comes to you a guidance from Me, then
whosoever follows My guidance, there shall no fear come upon
them neither shall they grieve. But they who disbelieve and deny
our revelations, such are the dwellers of the Fire. They shall
abide therein forever"
The noble Qur'an, Al-Baqarah(2):35-39
"Say: O My slaves who have been prodigal to their own hurt
(through excessive sin)! Despair not of the mercy of Allah.
Verily Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is the Oft-Forgiving,
the Most-Merciful."
The noble Qur'an, Al-Zumar(39):53
Anas ibn Malik narrated in Mishkat Al-Masabih the following:
"Allah's Messenger (pbuh) stated that Allah said, "O Son
of Adam, as long as you supplicate to Me and have
hope in me I will pardon you in spite of what you have done, and
I do not care. O Son of Adam, if your sins were so numerous as
to reach the lofty regions of the sky, then you asked My
forgiveness, I would forgive you, and I do not care. O Son of
Adam, if you were to meet Me with enough sins to fill the earth,
then met Me, not associating anything with Me (in worship), I
shall greet you with it's equivalent in forgiveness.'"
Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi. And Ahmad and Al-Darimi transmitted
it from AbuTharr.
For more on this topic please read section 1.2.3.20.