Short answer
Keep the commandments. A man asked Jesus what good thing he must do to have eternal life. Jesus answered, "if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." In Luke a lawyer asked the same question. Jesus pointed him to the Law of Moses: love God (﷾) with all your heart, and your neighbour as yourself. Then he said, "this do, and thou shalt live." In neither answer did he say to believe in a sacrifice for sins. He warned that whoever breaks the least commandment, and teaches others to, will be least in the kingdom. Paul, a Christian missionary of the first century, later wrote that no one is made right with God (﷾) by the works of the law. Muslims follow the answer Jesus gave: believe in the One God (﷾), obey Him, and hope for His mercy.
Full explanation
Asked twice, Jesus gave the same answer
A man with great wealth, often called the rich man, asked Jesus what good thing he should do to have eternal life. Jesus told him to keep the commandments. When the man asked which ones, Jesus listed them. On another occasion a lawyer asked what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus sent him to the Law, the commands God (﷾) gave Moses. The lawyer quoted the commands to love God (﷾) and neighbour. Jesus said he had answered right: do this and live. Neither answer mentions believing in a sacrifice for sin.
“And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.”
“He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
“And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.”
The Law stays, and righteousness must grow
Jesus said he did not come to destroy the Law. Whoever breaks the least of its commandments and teaches others to do so will be least in the kingdom. Unless a person's righteousness goes beyond that of the scribes and Pharisees, he will not enter at all. The scribes were men who copied and taught the Law. The Pharisees were a Jewish group strict about keeping it. So the standard is higher obedience, not freedom from the Law. Jesus did not say that the blood of a sacrifice would bring them in. He said their righteousness must be greater than the Pharisees'. Islam keeps that pattern: faith shown in prayer, fasting and charity, done for God (﷾) alone. The Qur'an says Jesus confirmed the Law and made lawful some of what was forbidden before. Only God (﷾) changes His Law, through a prophet.
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”
“Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
“For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
“"'(I have come to you), to attest the Law which was before me. And to make lawful to you part of what was (Before) forbidden to you; I have come to you with a Sign from your Lord. So fear Allah, and obey me.”
“"Those who follow the messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (scriptures),- in the law and the Gospel;- for he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil; he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure); He releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him, honour him, help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him,- it is they who will prosper."”
Doing the will of the Father
Jesus said not everyone who calls him Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only the one who does the will of his Father will enter. He said he will reward every man according to his works. He named the first commandment as the oneness of God (﷾). And he said eternal life is to know the only true God (﷾) and the one He sent.
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”
“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.”
“And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:”
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
What Christians say
Christians hold that eternal life is a gift received by faith in Jesus, not earned by keeping the Law. They cite John 3:16 and Paul's letter to the Ephesians. Many also read Jesus' answer to the rich man as a way of showing him that no one can keep the Law well enough. They point to the disciples' question "Who then can be saved?"
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
“When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”
Paul against the answer Jesus gave
Paul wrote that no one is made right with God (﷾) by the works of the law. He wrote that a man is made right by faith without them. Jesus said keeping the commandments leads to life. Paul says keeping them makes no one right with God (﷾). The letter of James words it the other way, in the same New Testament. A man is made right by works, and not by faith only.
“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”
“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”
“Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”
| The question | One passage says | Another says |
|---|---|---|
| What must I do for eternal life? | Jesus: “if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17). Whoever breaks the least of them, and teaches others to, will be least in the kingdom (Matthew 5:19). | Paul: “by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified” (Galatians 2:16). |
| Is a man justified by faith or by works? | Paul: “a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:28). | James: “by works a man is justified, and not by faith only” (James 2:24). |
Muslims follow the answer Jesus gave: believe in the One God (﷾), obey Him, and hope for His mercy.
The Qur'an's answer is the same
The Qur'an says that whoever hopes to meet his Lord must do righteous deeds and worship no one beside Him. Every person is in loss except those who have faith and do good. The Prophet (ﷺ) taught that deeds alone save no one, not even himself, unless Allah (﷾) covers him with His mercy. That is not Paul's teaching: Islam asks for faith and deeds together, and hopes for God's (﷾) mercy to accept them. The Prophet (ﷺ) also told his followers to keep doing good. So the Qur'an gives the answer Jesus gave: faith in the One God (﷾), obedience to Him, and hope in His mercy. That is Islam.
“Say: "I am but a man like yourselves, (but) the inspiration has come to me, that your Allah is one Allah: whoever expects to meet his Lord, let him work righteousness, and, in the worship of his Lord, admit no one as partner.”
“By (the Token of) Time (through the ages), Verily Man is in loss, Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy.”
“If any do deeds of righteousness,- be they male or female - and have faith, they will enter Heaven, and not the least injustice will be done to them.”
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said no one's deeds will save him. Asked whether that included him, he said: not even me, unless Allah covers me with His mercy. He then told them to do good deeds properly, sincerely and in moderation.
Verse by verse
Matthew 19:25-26 — Gospel of Matthew, chapter 19, verses 25-26
“When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”
Cited for
Jesus told the rich man to keep the commandments only to show him he could not. When the disciples asked who could be saved, Jesus said it is impossible with men, pointing to grace.
The response
The disciples' question follows Jesus' saying about how hard it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom. It does not follow his command to keep the commandments. His answer is that with God (﷾) all things are possible. He never withdrew the answer he gave. When the lawyer in Luke recited the commandments, Jesus said, "Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live."
Where it lands — Nothing in the text marks Jesus' answer as a trap. He meant it, and he gave it twice.
Matthew 19:20-21 — Gospel of Matthew, chapter 19, verses 20-21
“The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.”
Cited for
Jesus' real answer was "follow me", which means faith in him.
The response
Jesus first said "keep the commandments" and never took it back. "Follow me" came as the way to be perfect, and it came with a deed: sell what you have and give to the poor. Following a prophet means doing what he teaches, and he taught the commandments.
Where it lands — "Follow me" adds to the commandments. It does not replace them with belief in a sacrifice.
Galatians 2:16 — Epistle to the Galatians, chapter 2, verse 16
“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”
Cited for
No one is made right with God by the works of the law, only by faith in Christ.
The response
Those are Paul's words, not Jesus'. Jesus said the least commandment must be kept and taught. And the letter of James says a man is made right by works, and not by faith only.
Where it lands — The New Testament's own letters disagree on this, and Jesus' answer stands with keeping the commandments.
John 3:16 — Gospel of John, chapter 3, verse 16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Cited for
Whoever believes in the Son will not perish but have everlasting life. Faith, not works, is what saves.
The response
In the same Gospel Jesus says what eternal life is: to know the only true God (﷾), and Jesus as the one He sent. That is faith in the One God (﷾) and His messenger. And Jesus warned that calling him Lord without doing the Father's will saves no one.
Where it lands — John itself defines eternal life as knowing the only true God (﷾) and the one He sent. And Jesus said calling him Lord without doing the Father's will saves no one.
Perspectives
Mainstream Christian
Eternal life is God's gift to those who believe in Jesus, who died for their sins. No one can earn it by keeping the Law. Jesus' answer to the rich man showed him that he could not save himself.
John 3:16 promises everlasting life to whoever believes in the Son.
Rebuttal
The verse promises life to those who believe. But in the same Gospel Jesus says eternal life is to know the only true God (﷾) and the one He sent. And he said calling him Lord, without doing the Father's will, saves no one.
Paul teaches that people are saved by grace through faith, not by works.
Rebuttal
Those are Paul's words, not Jesus'. Jesus said the least commandment must be kept and taught. And the letter of James says a man is made right by works, and not by faith only.
Jesus told the rich man to keep the commandments. It was meant to show him that no one can keep the Law perfectly.
Rebuttal
The disciples' question follows Jesus' saying about how hard it is for a rich man to enter, not his command to keep the commandments. Jesus never withdrew his answer, and he gave the same one to the lawyer in Luke.
The Islamic perspective
Jesus answered the question himself: keep the commandments, love God (﷾) and your neighbour, and do the will of the Father. That is the way of Islam: faith in the One God (﷾), righteous deeds, and hope in His mercy. The teaching that the Law no longer saves comes from Paul, not from Jesus.
Asked what to do for eternal life, Jesus said to keep the commandments.
A lawyer asked Jesus the same question. Jesus pointed to the Law's commands to love God (﷾) and neighbour, and said, do this and live.
Jesus said that breaking the least commandment, and teaching others to, makes a person least in the kingdom.
Jesus said entry into the kingdom requires righteousness greater than that of the scribes and Pharisees.
In neither answer about eternal life does Jesus mention dying for sins or faith in a sacrifice.
Paul's teaching that no one is made right by the works of the law points away from the answer Jesus gave. James words it the other way.
The Qur'an teaches that salvation comes through faith in the One God (﷾) and righteous deeds, by God's (﷾) mercy.