The Sinlessness of Jesus

1 Peter 2:22

He committed no sin, no guile was found on his lips.

According to the Bible Jesus is the only person who ever lived who was entirely without sin. The Scripture charges all men, from Adam onwards, as being under the power of sin (Romans 3:9) and as having sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Only Jesus is excepted. A typical passage declaring his absolute integrity reads: “He committed no sin, no guile was found on his lips” (1 Peter 2:22).

Other passages confirm this. God “made him to be sin, who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). We know that Jesus appeared to take away sins, and “in him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5).

The Qur’an, too, declares that Jesus was without sin. When the Angel Jibril (Gabriel) appeared to Mary to announce her conception of Jesus, he said: “I am only a messenger of your Lord, to announce to you a faultless son” (Surah 19:19). The words used in Arabic to describe him are ghulaaman-zakiyyan “a most holy boy”. The Qur’an confirms the biblical teaching that Jesus was the only sinless person who would ever live as it nowhere describes anyone else in this way. Even Muhammed was expressly commanded to ask forgiveness (wastaghfir) of his sins (dhanbika).

In addition to the virgin birth, we can find common ground between the Qur’an and the Bible about the sinlessness of Christ.

Today's Prayer

Praise God that we have a Saviour who is without sin and thus could bear our sins on the cross so that we might be forgiven. Ask God for wisdom to share about Christ’s sinlessness with your Muslim friends.