In fact, it is the Muslim teaching that a person can purify himself through his own actions that means that it is Muslims who "purify themselves." From the point of view of Christianity, no good deed done by a man can be super-due, since it is his duty: "In the same way, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, We are worthless servants, because we have done what we ought to have done" (Luke 17:10). Therefore, even a million good deeds cannot erase one misdeed.

Let's imagine a person who finds himself in a stormy sea, or who finds himself up to his neck in a swamp. He cannot save himself. All his attempts only aggravate his situation. And only from outside can salvation come to him. Only God Himself can deliver man from sin and its consequences. Free human will is necessary in order to take advantage of God's help for one's deliverance. Thus, two things are needed: the Saviour, who is free from sin, and the person who accepts salvation, who participates in it.

In its harsh realism, the Christian teaching on sin may seem terrifying. However, we must remember that the meaning of Christianity consists precisely in the proclamation of salvation from God, who has appeared to us in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, who took away the sin of the world (John 1:29), and precisely for this reason we are not afraid to recognize sin in its true meaning.

And God gave this hope for salvation to mankind immediately after the Fall. He said that the "seed of the woman" would strike the serpent (the image of the devil) in the head, i.e. it would deal a decisive defeat to the one who had led mankind into sin (Genesis 3:14-15). This is the "seed of the woman", i.e. the One Who will be born of a woman without the participation of a man, and will be the One Who will atone for all the curses to which man and the universe have been subjected for the sin of Adam.

Jesus Christ

Short biography. Until the beginning of time, God the Father had His eternal Son, who together with Him created the universe. When the hour came, the Father sent Him into the world to save people from sin, damnation, and death. And then, a little more than two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ was born from the Virgin Mary in the city of Bethlehem (Matthew 1:18-25). This is how the Gospel describes it:

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to the city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, from the house of David; and the name of the Virgin was Mary. The angel came in to Her and said: Rejoice, O Thou of Grace! The Lord is with Thee; blessed art Thou among women... for thou hast found grace with God; and behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bear a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God shall give him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and his kingdom shall have no end. And Mary said to the angel, How shall this be, since I know no man? The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; wherefore also the Holy One who is born shall be called the Son of God... for with God no word will be powerless. Then Mary said, Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to Me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her (Luke 1:26-38), and nine months later she gave birth to her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. In that country there were shepherds in the field, who kept a night watch over their flock. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to them... And he said to them, Do not be afraid; I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all men: for this day is born unto you in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord; and this is a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger (Luke 2:7-12).

Three wise men also came from Persia, saying that they had seen the star announcing the birth of the King of Judah and had come to worship Him. And behold, the star which they had seen in the east was going before them, when at last it came and stood over the place where the Child was. And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with great joy, and when they entered into the house, they saw the Child with Mary His Mother, and they fell down and worshipped Him. and having opened their treasures, they brought Him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:9-11).

On the fortieth day after Christmas, the Virgin Mary and Joseph brought the Infant Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem to fulfill the command of the Mosaic Law (Lev 12:2-6). In accordance with it, every firstborn was to be dedicated to God and sacrificed for him as a ransom.

In Jerusalem there lived a righteous man named Simeon. And when they came to the Temple, the Holy Spirit brought Simeon to meet them. He took the Child in his arms and blessed God:

"Now Thou dost let Thy servant go, O Lord, according to Thy word, in peace, for my eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all nations, a light for the enlightenment of the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel (Luke 2:29-32).

The Jewish king Herod, wishing to retain power for himself and his sons, ordered to find and kill the One Who was spoken of as the great King who had been born. Then Joseph and Mary fled from his country to Egypt, where they remained for three and a half years, until the death of Herod, after which they returned and settled in the city of Nazareth. Here Jesus Christ lived until the age of thirty, in obedience to His Mother and Joseph.