Speaking of Jesus, the Apostle Peter told a group of religious leaders, "There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved" - Acts 4:12 (New Living Translation).

Peter's words came to mind yesterday as I read a new report by The Pew Research Center that says that nearly 1 in 4 people in the world are now Muslim or claim Islam as their religion.

Basically, Islam teaches salvation by good works - that if you obey Allah (their god) and do good works, you can earn a place in heaven. Sad to say, this just isn't so. The Bible says that no one can work their way into heaven. We have all sinned (Romans 3:23) and as sinners incur the penalty of death (Romans 6:23). It's a 3-fold death that our sin brings us: Physical death, Spiritual death and eternal death or hell. No matter how many good works we do, we still must pay this penalty once we commit even one sin.

There are two ways to pay the penalty. We can die and go to hell forever and ever. That's the first way. Or we can let Jesus' death count for us and pay the penalty of death we owe for our sin. That's an easy choice, isn't it? A no brainer! No one wants to die and go to hell forever, so that leaves the choice of believing in and following Jesus so his death can count for us and we can go to heaven not hell.

Islam offers no such solution to sin problem and the fact that sin brings the penalty of 3-fold death to us. It just teaches that you can do good works to be saved. But the Bible says no matter how many good works we do, we still owe the penalty of death for our personal sin, and that penalty must be paid in full. Good works don't cut it! That's why Islam doesn't work. It has no answer for sin or its penalty, only a hopeless quest to somehow earn a place in heaven or salvation by works.

In fact, every major world religion teaches salvation by works or by gaining some special knowledge to enter heaven. Only Christianity features a God who died for us to pay the penalty of death we owe for our sins. That's why there is salvation in no one else but Jesus - not Buddha, or Allah, or the Dalai Lama, or Mohammed - only Jesus. For God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.

Praise the name of Jesus!