• Romans 10:1 - Brothers, my heart's desire . . . for them is that they may be saved.
• John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
• John 3:16 - “Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

7. Seek to comprehend the meaning of what they say, so that your affirmations or criticisms are based on true understanding, not distortion or caricature.

• 1 Corinthians 13:6 - Love does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices with the truth.

8. Warn them with tears that those who do not receive Jesus Christ as the crucified and risen Savior who takes away the sins of the world will perish under the wrath of God.

• John 1:12 - But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
• Romans 10:9 - If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
• Philippians 3:18 - For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.

9. Don’t mislead them or give them false hope by saying, “Muslims worship the true God.”

This statement communicates to almost everybody a positive picture of the Muslim heart knowing, loving, and honoring the true God. But Jesus makes a person’s response to himself the litmus test of the authenticity of a person’s response to God. And he is explicit that if a person rejects him as the Divine One who gives his life as a ransom for sins and rises again—that person does not know, love, or honor the true God.

• John 8:19 - They said to [Jesus] therefore, "Where is your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also."
• John 5:23 - Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
• John 5:42-43 - [Jesus said,] "I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me.”

Love will not mislead Muslims, or those who care about Muslims, by saying that they “know” or “honor” and “love” the true God when they do not receive Jesus for who he really is. We cannot see people’s hearts. How do we know if they know and honor and love the true God? We lay down our lives to offer them Jesus. If they receive him, they know and love and honor God. If they don’t, they don’t. Jesus is the test.

That is the point of Jesus’ words in Luke 10:16, “The one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” And in Matthew 10:40, “Whoever receives me receives him who sent me.” And in John 5:46, “If you believed Moses, you would believe me.”

The most loving thing we can do for Muslims, or anyone else, is to tell them the whole truth about Jesus Christ, in the context of sacrificial care for them and willingness to suffer for them rather than abandon them, and then plead with them to turn away from “vain worship” (Mark 7:7) and receive Christ as the crucified and risen Savior for the forgiveness of their sins and the hope of eternal life. This would be our great joy—to have brothers and sisters from all the Muslim peoples of the world.

By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org. Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.