“If you want to get close to God, then you have to go through Jesus,” my Muslim friend Hafiz said.

Hafiz and I have been reading about Jesus in the Word for some time. We had already worked our way through His earthly ministry and His betrayal, crucifixion, and burial. In our last meeting, we had read about the resurrection.

This time, we were looking at several verses from the book of John about being born again and Jesus’ identity as the way to the Father.

“What do you learn from this passage?” I asked Hafiz after we read the verses and retold them in our own words.

He pointed to John 14:6 and said, “Jesus said, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ I think that is the most important part, that no one can come to the Father except through Jesus.”

Looking out the window, Hafiz pointed to the stairs leading to his home’s rooftop terrace. “If you want to get to the top of my house, there is only one way. You have to go up those stairs. You can try other ways, but it will be very difficult. And in the end, you will fail. But if you use the stairs to get to the roof, you will succeed.”

Hafiz continued, “It’s the same way with anyone who wants to come close to God. You have to go through Jesus.”

I agreed with him and responded that I find great assurance in this truth. Then I pointed back to what we had read previously in John 1:29 about Jesus being the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. “Do you see any connection with this verse?”

“Definitely,” he said. “Jesus is the sacrifice of God who takes away our sins.” Hafiz continued that we can’t come near to God because we are covered in the filth of our sins. We need to be cleansed, and it is impossible to get fully clean by our own efforts.

“God provided the way for us to be cleansed,” Hafiz said. “That way is Jesus. We can only go to God through Jesus, because Jesus is the only one who takes away our sins.”

Suddenly Hafiz looked up and said, “I need to be born again.”

Startled at his declaration, my heart started beating with joy. “How do you do that?” I asked.

“I think it’s a spiritual thing,” he said. “It means accepting the release from sins that comes as a gift from God. That’s being born again.”

We were going in the right direction, but I encouraged him to make it even more practical, more personal. “How do you plan to do that?” I asked.

“Maybe we should pray,” he suggested.

What followed wasn’t a guided prayer. I didn’t have him repeat after me. Hafiz prayed simply and sincerely with tears in his eyes.

“God, I accept your gift,” he prayed. “I won’t try to clean myself anymore. Thank you for making the sacrifice through Jesus. Amen.”

“Amen,” I agreed as we both wiped our tears.

So where exactly is Hafiz on his faith journey? He is leaning toward orthodoxy—toward right belief. It is not yet complete. He still regards Muhammad as a prophet. He has yet to discover the divinity of Jesus. We will get there in due time.

Meanwhile, I rejoice that Hafiz is embracing the truths about Jesus Christ that he has discovered thus far. And I pray with anticipation for the discoveries to come.

• Ask God to lead Hafiz to a complete view of Jesus as Lord and Savior.
• Pray that Hafiz will become a powerful witness for Christ among his people.
• Pray for Frontiers workers to meet more Muslim men and women who are eager to study the Word.

Field Update: Since this story first published, Hafiz has continued to study the Word and is now a follower of Jesus Christ. He has started several other Bible study groups that are multiplying and transforming the lives of more Muslims.

**This account comes from a long-term worker. Names have been changed for security.**

Original article: https://www.frontiersusa.org/blog/article/towards-orthodoxy