Coexist (Islam): Am I Good Enough?

April 19th, 2026/Seventh Day Adventist

MEMORY VERSE:

I want to start by anchoring us in a verse that frames this entire conversation. This gives us the lens for how we evaluate truth, especially when different belief systems can sound similar on the surface.

Scripture: Galatians 1:8
“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, a curse be on him!”

INTRO:

There is a question underneath every religion, every worldview, and every belief system. Not just what is true, but something deeper.

If we’re honest, most of us are running on this quiet question in the background of our lives…
Am I good enough?

It shows up in more places than we realize. At work, we try to prove ourselves. At home, we try to get it right. As parents, as spouses, as people, we carry this pressure to measure up. And if we’re not careful, we carry that same mindset into our relationship with God.

So the real question isn’t just what is true.
It’s this:
How do I know I am right with God?
How do I know I am accepted?
How do I know I’ve done enough?

Here’s the tension I want to put in front of you today. What if two belief systems both talk about one God, both talk about obedience, morality, prayer, and judgment… but give completely different answers to that question?

Because on the surface, Islam and Christianity can sound similar. One God. Moral living. Prayer. Judgment.

But underneath, they are fundamentally different.

In Islam, the question is: have I done enough for God?
In Christianity, the answer is: Jesus has done enough for you.

That difference is everything.

Islam represents about 25% of the world’s population. One out of every four people on the planet. And if we are going to love people well, we need to understand what they believe clearly, honestly, and graciously.

GLOBAL STORY:

This is not just something I’ve studied. Jess and I have spent time in regions where Islam is not simply a belief system, but a way of life. North Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia. In these places, faith is woven into culture, family, and often law. The call to prayer shapes the rhythm of the day, and devotion is built into everyday life.

What stood out immediately was sincerity, a real desire to honor God. We experienced hospitality, kindness, and generosity from Muslim families. That matters, and it should shape how we speak about this.

At the same time, we saw the complexity. It is tied to identity and often to government. There are countries where leaving Islam is illegal and where openly sharing the Gospel is restricted.

During the Arab Spring, beginning in 2010 and spreading across the region in 2011, that tension intensified. Governments fell. Nations destabilized. In places like Libya, Syria, and Yemen, protests turned into prolonged conflict. In others, there were rapid political shifts and crackdowns.

For many Christians and missionaries, it was a dark time. People who had served faithfully for years and decades were suddenly forced to leave. Some were woken up in the middle of the night and escorted to airports, leaving behind homes, possessions, and relationships built over decades. Local believers in some regions faced increased pressure and persecution.

This leads to something many people are not aware of, the 10/40 Window. A region stretching from North Africa across the Middle East into Asia, containing over five billion people. Within it live the majority of the world’s Muslims, along with thousands of unreached people groups, people with little to no access to the Gospel.

And yet, even there, God is moving. Muslims around the world are encountering Jesus in powerful ways, often through dreams. In regions where access is limited, God is not limited.

Some of the most significant movements of the Gospel today are happening in Muslim-dominant regions. Not always publicly. Not always visibly. But steadily, powerfully, and often at great cost.

And that brings us back to the question underneath everything.
How does someone actually know they are accepted by God?

LOCAL REALITY:

There is a story right here in our city worth paying attention to. Islam in Boulder traces back to the late 1970s, when students at the University of Colorado began gathering to practice their faith. What started small steadily grew into a strong community.

At the same time, there was a Christian church on Baseline Road. It had been there for decades. People were saved there. Families were raised there. The Gospel was preached there. But over time, like many churches across the country, it declined. In 2008, it closed its doors, and the building sat empty.

In 2011, a growing Muslim community purchased that building, and it became the Islamic Center of Boulder. The same building now carries a different message. One community declined, another grew.

That should cause us to pause. Not in fear, but in reflection. I don’t know all the reasons that church closed, and I’m not claiming to. But here is what I do know. Buildings do not drift. People drift. Churches drift. When a church drifts from its mission, space is created, and something will fill it.

So the question is not how did that happen. The question is what are we doing with what God has entrusted to us right now?

THE CONTRAST: ISLAM & CHRISTIANITY

Origin: (Islam: Correction)

Islam traces its roots back to Abraham, just like Christianity. Both faiths look to the same starting point, but they follow different lines from there.

In the Bible, the line of promise moves through Abraham’s son Isaac, leading to the people of Israel and ultimately to Jesus. In Islam, the connection is traced through Abraham’s son Ishmael, who is traditionally associated with the Arab people and, generations later, with Muhammad. So both claim connection to Abraham, but they tell different stories about how God’s promise unfolds from that point.

That difference becomes the foundation for everything that follows.

From there, Islam teaches that the Qur’an is the final revelation of God, given through Muhammad over a period of about 23 years. These revelations began in Mecca, where Muhammad called people back to worship one God, and continued in Medina, where a religious and political community was established. The Qur’an presents itself not as a new religion, but as the correction of what came before in Judaism and Christianity. The Qur’an says, “We have revealed to you the Book in truth… as a criterion over it” (Surah 5:48). In this framework, earlier Scriptures are seen as either misunderstood or corrupted, and the Qur’an restores the true message.

After Muhammad’s death, a major divide emerged over who should lead the Muslim community. Sunni Muslims believed leadership should be chosen from among qualified leaders, while Shia Muslims believed it should remain within Muhammad’s family, through Ali and his descendants. Today, Sunnis make up the majority of Muslims worldwide, but both groups share the same core beliefs about the Qur’an and Muhammad. So while there is diversity within Islam, there is unity around its central claims.

Berbers Story (Algeria): were violent, then came to Christ. The government tried to shut them down, but they couldn’t.

Christianity tells a different story. It does not present Jesus as correcting Scripture, but fulfilling it. Scripture says, “I did not come to abolish but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). That means the Bible is not moving toward revision, but toward completion in Christ.

Islam looks backward and corrects.
Christianity moves forward and fulfills.

And that difference shapes everything that follows.

God: (Islam: Absolute Oneness)

At the center of Islam is tawhid, the absolute oneness of God. God is singular, sovereign, and completely distinct from creation. The Qur’an says, “He neither begets nor is born” (Surah 112:3), and commands, “Do not say ‘Three’” (Surah 4:171). Because of this, the central Christian claim that Jesus is Lord and the Son of God is not simply disagreed with. It is considered the greatest possible sin, known as shirk.

Christianity affirms that God is one, but reveals something more. God is relational. Father, Son, and Spirit. Scripture says, “God is love” (1 John 4:8). That means relationship is not secondary to who God is, it is central. You are not just submitting to a distant authority. You are invited into a relationship with a loving Father. That is not a small distinction. It changes how you understand everything about God.

Humanity: (Islam: Servants)

In Islam, your identity is clear. You are a servant. The word Muslim means one who submits. The Qur’an says, “I did not create jinn and humans except to worship Me” (Surah 51:56). Your life is measured by your obedience, your submission, and your alignment with God’s will.

Christianity does not remove obedience, but it reframes identity. You are not just a servant. You are invited into the family of God. Scripture says, “You received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’” (Romans 8:15). A servant obeys out of duty. A child relates out of love. Christianity is not about erasing obedience. It is about transforming the relationship.

Problem: (Islam: Disobedience)

Islam identifies the problem as failure to submit. Humanity goes off course, disobeys, and must return to the straight path. The issue is behavioral. The solution is correction and obedience.

Christianity goes deeper. The problem is not only what we do. It is that we are separated from God because of sin. Scripture says, “Your iniquities are separating you from your God” (Isaiah 59:2). That means the issue is not just misalignment. It is a broken relationship. And you cannot fix a broken relationship with better behavior alone.

Solution: (Islam: Obedience)

Islam offers a path. Follow the commands. Live in submission. Align your life with God’s will. The Qur’an says, “Those whose scales are heavy… they are the successful” (Surah 23:102). The responsibility is on you to live rightly and hope your obedience is enough.

That obedience is structured through what are known as the Five Pillars of Islam. These include declaring that Allah is the one true God and Muhammad is his messenger, praying five times a day, giving a portion of income to the poor, fasting during the month of Ramadan, and making a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once if physically and financially able. These practices shape daily life and are central to how a Muslim demonstrates submission to God.

Christianity offers a Savior. Scripture says, “He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus does not give you a system to manage your life. He accomplishes what you cannot. You are not climbing your way to God. God came down to you.

Salvation: (Islam: Uncertain)

In Islam, salvation is ultimately uncertain. Your deeds are weighed. Your obedience matters. And in the end, it depends on God’s mercy. There is no assurance. Even devout Muslims will often say, “I hope Allah accepts me.”

Christianity offers assurance. Scripture says, “So that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). Your standing before God is not based on your performance, but on Christ’s finished work. One leaves you hoping. The other allows you to know. That difference carries real weight in how a person lives.

Authority: (Islam: Qur’an + Hadith)

In Islam, authority is not shaped by the Qur’an alone, but also by the Hadith, collections of Muhammad’s words and actions that show how the faith is to be lived out. That means Muhammad is not just a messenger of revelation. His life becomes the model for obedience. What he says, what he permits, and how he lives are meant to guide everyday practice.

That raises an important question. If someone’s life is the pattern for faith, then it’s worth asking what that life actually looks like.

For example, the earliest and most widely accepted Hadith collections, Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, record that Aisha, one of Muhammad’s wives, was betrothed at six and that the marriage was consummated when she was nine. These are considered sahih, meaning authentic and reliable within Islamic scholarship. While some modern voices attempt to reinterpret her age, those views do not reflect the earliest and most established sources.

So the question isn’t whether this is reported, it is. The question is how we understand it. If Muhammad is the moral example for all people, across all cultures and all time, how does that example translate? That is a real question that deserves an honest answer.

There are also passages in both the Qur’an and Hadith that speak directly to warfare and authority. For example, Surah 9:29 speaks about fighting those who do not believe until they submit and pay a tax, and Surah 4:24 references “those whom your right hands possess,” a phrase historically understood within classical Islamic law to refer to female captives taken in war and brought into a man’s household under his authority, including concubinage relationships.

These are not obscure or fringe texts. They are part of the core sources and have been recognized and interpreted within Islamic legal tradition across centuries—not just isolated moments in history.

Now again, to be clear, many modern Muslims understand and apply these passages in different ways, often emphasizing historical context and not practicing them in literal ways today. There is diversity in interpretation, just as there is in any major belief system. But when we are asking what is true, we have to be willing to look honestly at what the texts actually say, not just the best or most modern expressions of them.

Christianity is different at this point. Our authority is not grounded in the life of a prophet whose actions become law, but in the person of Jesus, who not only teaches truth, but embodies it perfectly. Where Muhammad is presented as a model to follow, Jesus is revealed as a Savior to trust.

He doesn’t call people to conquer enemies, but to love them. He doesn’t elevate power, but lays His life down. And ultimately, He doesn’t point people to a path to earn God’s favor, He becomes the way to God Himself.

That difference matters, because what you trust as your authority will shape how you understand truth, morality, and ultimately, who God is.

Transformation: (Islam: External)

Islam emphasizes external submission. The focus is on aligning behavior with God’s commands through discipline, law, and practice. The transformation is primarily outward, expressed through obedience.

Christianity transforms from the inside out. Scripture says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you” (Ezekiel 36:26). Jesus says, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). This is not about external conformity. It is about internal renewal that flows outward into every area of life.

GOAT Milk: traveling the Berbers and realizing so many have never heard… we must go.

Jesus: (Islam: Prophet)

This is where everything comes into focus. Islam honors Jesus as a prophet, but denies that He is God or Savior. The Qur’an says, “They have certainly disbelieved who say, ‘Allah is the Messiah’” (Surah 5:72). Jesus is respected, but He is not central.

Christianity declares that Jesus is Lord. Scripture says, “In the beginning was the Word… and the Word was God” (John 1:1), and “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Jesus is not one option among many. He is the way to God.

If Jesus is only a prophet, then you are still responsible to earn your way to God. If Jesus is Lord, then He has already made the way for you.

FINAL TENSION:

That’s the difference. It’s not small and it’s not subtle. These are two completely different answers to the same question.

One says submit and hope. The other says receive and know.

So this isn’t about what sounds better. It’s about what’s true and what actually leads to life.

INVITATION:

And now this becomes personal. Because this isn’t just about understanding Islam or Christianity. This is about you.

How do you know you are accepted by God?

All over the world, people are asking that question. Praying, trying, hoping they’ve done enough. And if we’re honest, some of us feel that same tension. You try to be a good person. You try to get it right. You try to clean things up. And underneath it all is the question, is it enough?

The message of Jesus steps right into that question and answers it. Not with try harder, but with it is finished.

You are not accepted because you performed well enough. You are accepted because Jesus finished the work on your behalf. The cross is not an invitation to earn God’s love. It is the declaration that you already have it.

So today, you have a decision to make. Not just what you believe, but what you trust.

Will you keep living in a system where you’re trying to measure up, always wondering where you stand? Or will you receive what Jesus has already finished and step into a relationship where you are fully known and fully accepted?

Some of you are searching. Today is your moment to stop searching and start trusting. Some of you believe, but you’re still living like you have to earn it. Today is your moment to lay that down. And some of you follow Jesus. This is your call to carry this. There are people all around you asking the same question, and this is not something we keep. This is something we live and share.

RESPONSE:

So I want to give you a moment to respond.

If you’re here and you know you need to give your life to Jesus, not try harder, not clean yourself up first, but fully surrender, this is your moment.

Right where you are, you can say, Jesus, I give you my life. I believe you died for me and I believe you rose again. Forgive me of my sin. Make me new. Fill me with your Spirit and help me follow you all the days of my life.

If you’re coming back to Him, this is your moment to release the pressure. You don’t have to carry what He already paid for.

And if you follow Jesus, let this move you. Pray. Go. Speak. Because the Gospel is not just good news for you. It’s good news for the world.

CLOSING:

At the end of the day, it comes down to this. Two paths. Two systems. Two answers.

One leaves you hoping. The other lets you know. One leaves you striving. The other invites you to receive.

And His name is Jesus.