Islam has no mediator between God and sinful man. Christians approach God not on their own merit but in the merit of Christ. Answer from Feisty_Radio_6825 on reddit.com
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Answering Islam
answering-islam.org › authors › beck › salvation_quran.html
Salvation in the Qur'an
While most passages in the Qur'an ... as long as God wills (6:128; 11:107-108; cf Yusuf Ali, nn 1608 & 1609). For the Christian salvation is totally by grace, through faith, from beginning to end (Ephesians 2:8-9; I John 1:9)....
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Atri Research
blog.atriresearch.org › articles › the-muslim-view-of-salvation
The Muslim View of Salvation
April 3, 2025 - “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Paul, who wrote the above verses under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, was once a devout Jew who sought to secure his relationship with God by keeping the law, as was customary. However, he realized a truth that everyone must understand—that our efforts and good deeds are insufficient to earn God’s approval because they pale in comparison to God’s immeasurable holiness.
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Christianfrommuslim
christianfrommuslim.com › home › index › salvation in christianity and islam
Salvation in Christianity and Islam - Christian from Muslim
August 23, 2025 - Right after Paul tells the Ephesians that they are saved by God’s grace, not works and have no reason to boast, he says, For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 ... He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.
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CARM
carm.org › does-islam-teach-salvation-by-works
Does Islam teach salvation by works? - CARM
October 20, 2025 - On the Day of Judgment, if a Muslim’s good works outweighs his bad ones and if Allah so wills it, he may be forgiven of all his sins and then enter into Paradise. Therefore, Islam is a religion of salvation by works because it combines man’s works with Allah’s grace. Consider the following verses from the Qur’an.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/truechristian › is islam also by grace and faith alone?
r/TrueChristian on Reddit: Is Islam also by grace and Faith alone?
March 9, 2024 -

I used to be a Muslim and was taught about doing good deeds to get into heaven and about the angels on the right and left shoulder who count your good deeds and bad deeds and on the day of judgment the good and bad is weighed up. So when I came to Christianity and learnt about grace and Faith alone it was a big (and amazing) change for me.

Now today at our church outreach a Muslim man approached me seeing the colour of my skin and saw me with other Christians and asked me where I was from and wanted to know if I was a Muslim who's become a Christian. I was and so I told him. He started shouting and arguing with me then and not letting me get a word in, trying to use the verse about Jesus saying "I don't know you" to try and discredit Christianity somehow haha and when I tried to explain the actual meaning I spoke how it was about people who come to him with works and not with relationship and I started mentioning the main difference between islam and Christianity is that islam is work based salvation whereas Christianity is grace alone (he cut me off before I could fully explain the verse). This is when he tried to tell me it is not work based in islam and that he at the end of the day always relies on the mercy of God (I knew this was off but had no chance to defend or anything because he was talking over me at every single turn). And so afterwards on my own I started to look it up and it clearly stated in the Qur'an that good deeds and bad deeds will be weighed against each other, but it also says Allah is all forgiving, and in some of their other texts it says that sincere repentance would forgive all sins.

Now here's the thing. If Muslims argue that it ultimately relies on the mercy of God and not on deeds then it is a grace alone faith too, just like Christianity, however the more you think about it and know about Islam this isn't the case.

Muslims also believe they can never know whether they go to heaven or hell and so they live their lives not knowing and trying to do as much good and staying away from as much bad as possible in the hopes that they are good enough to go to heaven. There's multiple cases of this being the life Muslims lead and what they believe in their scriptures and you could literally ask any Muslim and at the end of the day this is how they live in their faith. They do believe Allah is all forgiving but at the same time they have no idea if they're going to be forgiven because it's up to Allah and they don't know what he will do, only he knows, and so they do their best to live as good and righteously as possible, hoping they're forgiven and go to heaven, and my friends this is not grace alone. This is a work based salvation plain and simple. They're always in fear of punishment and so work to live their best and most righteous lives on earth. If it was grace alone, and they relied ultimately and solely on the mercy of God then they would have a guarantee of salvation. So this guy, who didn't let me speak, left after saying a bunch of attacks against Christianity without hearing anything in return, and then came back and threatened me by saying if he saw me preaching there again in 10 minutes he'd hit me (I carried on for about 20-30 mins after and he never returned praise God. I also didn't even engage him at the start. Just told him I didn't want a debate when he was debating and was patient and listened.) This guy is lying about what islam believes or just doesn't have a full understanding of his own faith.

Christianity is the only faith that is truly salvation through faith and grace ALONE. That is why we have the guarantee of salvation which is a gift of God.

(This also does bring up a big contradiction in the crux of the islamic faith: If you know God is all forgiving and will forgive all sins through repentance you should actually know you are going to heaven... But that is not what I was intending to talk about in this message. Just wanted to talk about whether Islam was grace alone or work based.)

Top answer
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Islam has no mediator between God and sinful man. Christians approach God not on their own merit but in the merit of Christ.
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I'm not an expert on Islam, but from what I've been able to glean, Islam and Christianity have fundamentally different concepts of mercy. In Christianity, mercy (or grace - whatever term you want to use) is freely given to those who express faith in Christ and turn from their sins. You CAN'T earn mercy, but God has made the promise to give mercy to whoever sincerely asks for it. Because of this we CAN know that we have eternal life. (1 John 1:9 & 5:13) In Islam, Allah may dispense mercy, but only to those who shown themselves worthy. So one similarity may be that in both Christianity and Islam, we don't deserve mercy. The big difference is Islam teaches you must do things to earn Allah's favor in order to obtain mercy. Christianity says the opposite. It says that's impossible and only repentance/faith will bring mercy.
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Unraveling Islam
unravelingislam.com › grace-faith-and-works
Grace, Faith, and Works - Unraveling IslamUnraveling Islam
April 11, 2015 - Perhaps nothing reveals these complex inversions better than examining the issue of salvation as it relates to grace, faith, and works. If you ask a Christian about how to earn salvation, you will be told that such a thing is impossible. Salvation cannot be earned, but rather comes by God’s grace alone (Ephesians 2:8-9).
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Biblical Missiology
biblicalmissiology.org › home › the five solas and islam
The Five Solas and Islam - Biblical Missiology
August 27, 2020 - “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 · They also said, “salvation belongs to the Lord” alone (Jonah 2:9), or that God was both the source and means of salvation.
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Christian Publishing House
christianpublishinghouse.co › home › sin and salvation in islam: works alone or grace alone?
Sin and Salvation in Islam: Works Alone or Grace Alone? - Christian Publishing House Blog
January 6, 2025 - Ephesians 2:8-9 is a good verse to help explain this concept: “For by grace through faith you have been saved, not by works, so that no one can boast.” Christians, therefore, believe that works flow out of a true believer in gratitude and ...
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Compelling Truth
compellingtruth.org › five-pillars-Islam.html
Will keeping the Five Pillars of Islam get me to heaven/Paradise? - Compelling Truth
And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Paul clearly states that salvation is by grace through faith, not by works.
Find elsewhere
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GotQuestions
gotquestions.org › difference-Christianity-Islam.html
What is the difference between Christianity and Islam? | GotQuestions.org
July 20, 2016 - Christianity teaches a grace-based salvation. A person is saved by the grace (the undeserved blessing) of God, through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8–9; Romans 10:9–10).
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UASV Bible
uasvbible.org › home › what does ephesians 2:8–9 mean about salvation by grace through faith?
What Does Ephesians 2:8–9 Mean About Salvation by Grace Through Faith? - Updated American Standard Version
1 week ago - Explore the meaning of Ephesians 2:8–9: salvation by grace through faith, not earned by works, producing a life of good works in Christ.
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The Berean
theberean.org › index.cfm › main › default › id › 3630 › ephesians-2-8-9.htm
Ephesians 2:8-9 - Understanding Grace, Faith, and Works in Christian Salvation
Uncover the true meaning of grace, faith, and works in Ephesians 2:8-10. Learn how obedience to God's law aligns with His gift of salvation.
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Christianfrommuslim
christianfrommuslim.com › wp-content › uploads › 2020 › 09 › study-guide-for-lesson-on-salvation-in-christianity-and-islam.pdf pdf
1 Study Guide for “Lesson on Salvation in Christianity and Islam”
It overcomes many of the obstacles to the gospel which are built into the Qur’an · and as a result Islam. To learn more about it, see the lesson, study guide, and video tract of this name.) ... No! God loved us, even though we are unworthy. This is a difference from Islam. ... While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8. ... Islam teaches about salvation, works, and the afterlife. Paradise is the goal of Muslims in the afterlife, rather than heaven. In contrast to the spiritual emphasis of
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Shepherdbible
shepherdbible.church › sermons › salvation-by-grace-through-faith-unto-good-works-ephesians-28-10
Salvation by Grace through Faith unto Good Works (Ephesians 2:8-10) — Shepherd Bible Church
December 10, 2025 - And this is the very core of the Christian faith, isn’t it? This is the defining commitment of Christianity and the teaching that sets it off from all other religions. We are what we are solely by the grace of God. Grace is not given to us in response to anything we do or anything we are.
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Answering Islam
answering-islam.org › authors › shamoun › salvation_x_i.html
Salvation According to Christianity and Islam
S. 11:114 Shakir · However, all of this contradicts the very Scriptures which the Quran exhorts Christians to follow and judge by. The Holy Bible teaches that a person is saved by the grace and mercy of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and not on the basis of righteous deeds:
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Holyimpressions
holyimpressions.com › home › blog › understanding salvation: ephesians 2:8-9 and the gift of grace
Understanding salvation: Ephesians 2:8-9 and the gift of grace - holyimpressions.com
March 18, 2024 - Grace is God’s benevolence to the undeserving. In Ephesians 2:8-9, the Apostle Paul is emphasizing that salvation is a gift from God, not a reward for our good works or religious rituals.
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GotQuestions
gotquestions.org › Ephesians-2-8-9.html
What is the meaning of Ephesians 2:8–9? | GotQuestions.org
April 19, 2018 - Answer Ephesians 2:8–9 is a familiar ... salvation: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” Before looking at ...
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Blue Letter Bible
blueletterbible.org › Comm › stewart_don › faq › islam › 13-how-does-a-person-achieve-salvation-in-islam.cfm
How Does a Person Achieve Salvation in Islam? by Don Stewart
June 9, 2020 - There is nothing to be saved from. Consequently, if there was no original sin, there is no need for a Savior. Salvation, in Islam, is based upon the deeds of a person. The Quran says,
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Quora
quora.com › What-is-the-meaning-of-Ephesians-2-8-9-Does-it-suggest-that-good-deeds-are-not-important-for-salvation
What is the meaning of Ephesians 2:8-9? Does it suggest that good deeds are not important for salvation? - Quora
Answer (1 of 34): There are 2 ways to look at these verses. 1 is to see it as salvation comes from Christ and He alone. It is His work of grace and His mercy that saves us and there is nothing we do that makes us worthy. It is not my works or deeds or efforts, but His death on the cross and His r...
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Direction Journal
directionjournal.org › 23 › 1 › concept-of-salvation-in-christian-muslim.html
Direction: The Concept of Salvation in the Christian-Muslim Encounter
The Bible teaches (e.g., Heb. 9) that salvation through Christ’s cross is anticipated in the Old Testament by the sacrifices of animals. In both the Old and the New Testament God acts visibly as the Redeemer. This long history of saving acts proves that God is faithful in fulfilling his promises. He is a God in whom believers really can trust. The Qur’an, in contrast, teaches God’s absolute free will (e.g., 2:20; 16:93).