ISLAMIC ARTICLES OF FAITH VOL. 1
The articles of faith of Islam were accessed from: ISLAM – Articles of Faith www.barghouti.com on Tuesday, 13th November 2018.
ARTICLE 1
A MUSLIM BELIEVES IN ONE GOD, SUPREME AND ETERNAL, INFINITE AND MIGHTY, MERCIFUL AND COMPASSIONATE, CREATOR AND PROVIDER.
1. “God has no father nor mother, no sons nor daughters. He has not fathered anyone nor was He fathered.
None equal to Him. He is God of all mankind, not of a special tribe or race.
2. God is High and Supreme but He is very near to the pious thoughtful believers; He answers their prayers and helps them. He loves the people who love Him and forgives their sins. He gives them peace, happiness, knowledge and success.
3. God is the Loving and the Provider, the Generous and the Benevolent, the Rich and the Independent, the Forgiving and the Clement, the Patient and the Appreciative, the Unique and the Protector, the Judge and the Peace. God’s attributes are mentioned in the Quran.
4. God creates in man the mind to understand, the soul and conscience to be good and righteous, the feelings and sentiments to be kind and humane. If we try to count His favours upon us, we cannot, because they are countless.
5. In return for all the great favours and mercy, God does not need anything from us, because he is Needless and Independent.
6. God asks us to know Him, to love Him and to enforce His Law for our own benefit and our own good”.
7. This agrees with the faith of Christ, the Son of Man Apostle Peter Odoemena. It is purely scriptural.
8. Both the Law and the Prophets uphold that God is One.
9. Moses in the Law taught that God is One.
10. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.” Deuteronomy 6: 4 (KJV)
11. “O Israel, listen: Jehovah is our God, Jehovah alone.Deuteronomy 6: 4 (LB)
12. “It was shown to you so that you might have [personal] knowledge andcomprehend that the Lord is God; there is no other besides Him.”Deuteronomy 4:35 (AMP)
13. “He did these things so you would realize that Jehovah is God, and that there is no one else like him.”Deuteronomy 4:35 (LB)
14. “Therefore know and understand today, and take it to your heart, that the Lord is God in the heavens above and on the earth below; there is no other”.Deuteronomy 4:39 (AMP)
15. “This is your wonderful thought for the day: Jehovah is God both in heaven and down here upon the earth; and there is no God other than him!”Deuteronomy 4:39(LB)
16. “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live forever.”Deuteronomy 32:39-40 (KJV)
17. Isaiah the Prophet testified that God is One.
18. “I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”Isa. 42:8 (KJV)
19. “I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour.”Isa. 43:11 (KJV)
20. “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” Isaiah 43:25 (KJV)
21. “But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.”Mark 2:10-11 (KJV)
22. “As he spake these words, many believed on him. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”John 8:30-32 (KJV)
23. “I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else”.Isa. 45:5-6 (KJV)
24. “Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the Lord? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” Isa. 45: 21-22(KJV)
25. Prophet Zechariah also testified that God is One and there is none beside Him:
26. “And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.” Zechariah 14:9 (KJV)
27. The Lord Jesus Christ when asked what the first commandment of God to man was, answered thus:
28. “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.” Mark 12: 29-30, KJV.
29. “And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:” Mark 12: 32, KJV.
30. He, Jesus Christ, Son of Man, then called Him the Only True God.
31. “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3, KJV.
32. The Apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthians declared that “God is One”.
33. “As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.” 1 Corinthians 8:4,6 KJV.
34. “So now, what about it? Should we eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god, and that there is only one God, and no other. But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created all things[a] and made us to be his own; and one Lord Jesus Christ, who made everything and gives us life.” 1 Corinthians 8:4, 6 (LB).
35. St Paul equally declared same to the Ephesians.
36. “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” Ephesians 4:4-6, KJV.
37. The truth of Almighty God being One is the fundamental revelation in worshipping God. All the Christians, whether Orthodox or Pentecostal, that propagate the fallacy that God is Three-in-One (Trinity) are out of the way of Truth.
38. The Scriptures equally allude to all these qualities of the Almighty God as believed by the Muslim. A few scriptures are given here:
39. “And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,” Genesis 14: 22, KJV.
40. “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the Most High God.And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.” Genesis 14:18-20, KJV
41. “For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.” Hebrews 7: 1-3 (KJV)
42. Melchizedek was God in human form and the Scriptures say He had no father nor mother, no beginning of days nor ending of days. He is the Self-Existing One, the Almighty.
43. “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.” Genesis 17: 1 (KJV)
44. “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” 1Timothy 1: 17 (KJV)
45. “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.” Isaiah 40: 28 (KJV)
46. “Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite” Psalm 147: 5 (KJV)
47. “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;” Ecclesiastes 12: 1 (KJV)
48. He is the King Eternal, the Creator, the Great God, Infinite, the only Wise and True God.
ARTICLE 2
A MUSLIM BELIEVES IN ALL THE MESSENGERS AND PROPHETS OF GOD WITHOUT ANY DISCRIMINATION.
1. “All messengers were mortals, human beings, endowed with Divine revelations and appointed by God to teach mankind. The Holy Quran mentions the names of 25 messengers and prophets and states that there are others. These include Noah, Abrahim, Ishmael, Isaac, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. Their message is the same and it is Islam and it came from One and the Same Source; God, and it is to submit to His will and to obey his law, ie, to become a Muslim”.
2. The Muslim Faith recognizes Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. Their message is the same, and it is Islam (i.e. the Message of Peace) and it came from one source. The source is God. God is the sovereign spirit, Christ! It is Christ that inspires all the prophets and holy men of God to speak and so, as long as the source is the same, their messages will never contradict themselves. This is scriptural.
3. “Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” 1 Peter 1:9-11 (KJV)
4. “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1:19-21
5. “This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:” 2 Peter 3:1-2
6. “And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,” Acts 15:15
7. “The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.” 2 Samuel 23:2
8. “And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee. And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.” Ezekiel 2:1-2
9. “Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them:” Jeremiah 7:25 (KJV)
10. “To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent unto you, both rising up early, and sending them, but ye have not hearkened;”Jeremiah26:5
11. “And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.” 2 Chronicles 20:20
12. “And by a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved.” Hosea 12:13
13. “Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.” John 14:30
14. “For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.” John 12:49,
15. “Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.” John 8:28
16. It has always been the same spirit of Christ that has always been speaking in the prophets. That is why their words do agree because the spirit of God cannot be against themselves or contradict themselves.
ARTICLE 3
A MUSLIM BELIEVES IN ALL SCRIPTURES AND REVELATIONS OF GOD, AS THEY WERE COMPLETE AND IN THEIR ORIGINAL VERSIONS.
1. “Revelations were given to guide the people to the right path of God. The Quran refers to the books revealed to Abrahim, Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad.
2. Today, the books before the Quran do not exist in their original form. They are lost or corrupted or concealed. Weakness in the early period of Judaism and Christianity are partly responsible.
3. Today the Quran is the only authentic and complete book of God. No scholar has questioned the fact that the Quran today is the same as it was more than 1400 years ago. Muslims till today memorize the Quran word by word as a whole or in part”.
4. God who revealed the Quran is protecting it from being lost, corrupted, or concealed”.
5. This is in line with the scriptures as testified in both the laws and the book of revelation etc.
6. “Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you. Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lordyour God which I command you.” Deuteronomy 4:1-2 (KJV)
7. “What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.” Deuteronomy 12:32
8. “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” Proverb 30:5-6 (KJV)
9. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” Ecclesiastes 12:13 (KJV)
10. “Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Joshua 1:7-8
11. “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” Rev 22:18-19
12. “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” 2 Tim 3:15-16 (KJV)
13. “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” Rom 15:4 (KJV)
14. Anybody God calls, must accept the wholesome teachings of God through the Vindicated Vessels – the God man, God-Enmorphe; the Human Vessel that is masking God. Nobody should add nor subtract from that teaching for whatever He teaches is the Mind of God for His people. So, He is God’s Mouthpiece. His teachings should not be neglected, adulterated nor watered down.
15. “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” 1st Thessalonians 2:13 (KJV)
16. “And we will never stop thanking God for this: that when we preached to you, you didn’t think of the words we spoke as being just our own, but you accepted what we said as the very Word of God—which, of course, it was—and it changed your lives when you believed it.” 1st Thessalonians 2:13 (LB)
17. When St. Paul preached to the Thessalonians, they received the Words of St. Paul, without adulterating it and as the Word of God, it worked effectually in them.
ARTICLE 4
A MUSLIM BELIEVES IN THE ANGELS OF GOD.
1. “They are purely spiritual and splendid beings created by God. They require no food or drink or sleep. They have no physical desires nor material needs.
2. Angels spend their time in the service of God. Each charged with a certain duty. Angels cannot be seen by the naked eyes. Knowledge and truth are not entirely confined to sensory knowledge or sensory perception alone”.
3. The Bible recognizes Angels as Supernatural Beings that appear to human beings.
4. They are 100% Human and 100% God. Angels are created beings.
5. Angels as human beings, can be seen with the naked eyes, yet they are God En-morphe.
6. They serve as God’s Agents to execute God’s judgment.
7. “And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night”.Genesis 19:1-2 (KJV)
8. These were two angels of judgement against Sodom. They were seen and recognized by Lot. So angels can be seen and can be seen by naked eyes. These two angels were among the three men Abraham saw in Genesis 18, one of whom was the LORD.
9. “And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,”Genesis 18:1-2 (KJV)
10. “And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord.” Genesis 18:22 (KJV)
11. The two men (Angels), physically seen, went towards Sodom while Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
12. “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Revelations 14:6-7 (KJV)
13. “And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:” Revelations 10:1-6 (KJV)
14. This is the Angel of judgement. This is God appearing in human form as Angel of judgement upon the earth.
15. The Book of Revelation Chapter 2 and 3 speak of the Seven Angels to the Seven Church Ages. These Angels were human beings inspired by the spirit of the Spirit of God to declare the mind of God to the Church Ages. Prophet William Marion Branham was the last and 7th Angel Messenger to the Laodicean Church Age.
16. His mission was to forerun the coming Messiah, Christ, (Isa), the Word made flesh, in His second coming even as prophesied by His holy Prophet Muhammad that Christ would come to earth again.
17. William Branham, the 7th Angel Messenger pointed the whole world to where Christ should come from. He said it would be in one of the jungles in Africa. He described the stature of the Messiah (Christ) and said He would be of average height, of a good countenance with strong body and large stomach, dark complexioned with clean shave. The same description was given by the Prophet Muhammad of the Messiah.
18. Angels also appear to people in dreams to give them some good information.
19. Some Angels are named in the scriptures:
20. Angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah to announce to him that his wife Elizabeth who was barren would be pregnant and would bear a son who would be called John.
21. “Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. Luke 1:1-20 (KJV)
22. “Dear friend who loves God: Several biographies of Christ have already been written using as their source material the reports circulating among us from the early disciples and other eyewitnesses. However, it occurred to me that it would be well to recheck all these accounts from first to last and after thorough investigation to pass this summary on to you,to reassure you of the truth of all you were taught.My story begins with a Jewish priest, Zacharias, who lived when Herod was king of Judea. Zacharias was a member of the Abijah division of the Temple service corps. (His wife, Elizabeth, was, like himself, a member of the priest tribe of the Jews, a descendant of Aaron.) Zacharias and Elizabeth were godly folk, careful to obey all of God’s laws in spirit as well as in letter. But they had no children, for Elizabeth was barren; and now they were both very old.One day as Zacharias was going about his work in the Temple—for his division was on duty that week—the honor fell to him by lot to enter the inner sanctuary and burn incense before the Lord. Meanwhile, a great crowd stood outside in the Temple court, praying as they always did during that part of the service when the incense was being burned.Zacharias was in the sanctuary when suddenly an angel appeared, standing to the right of the altar of incense! Zacharias was startled and terrified.But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zacharias! For I have come to tell you that God has heard your prayer, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son! And you are to name him John.You will both have great joy and gladness at his birth, and many will rejoice with you. For he will be one of the Lord’s great men. He must never touch wine or hard liquor—and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from before his birth! And he will persuade many a Jew to turn to the Lord his God.He will be a man of rugged spirit and power like Elijah, the prophet of old; and he will precede the coming of the Messiah, preparing the people for his arrival. He will soften adult hearts to become like little children’s, and will change disobedient minds to the wisdom of faith.”Zacharias said to the angel, “But this is impossible! I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to you with this good news! And now, because you haven’t believed me, you are to be stricken silent, unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly come true at the proper time.”” Luke 1:1-20 (LB)
23. The same Angel Gabriel came to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and told her that she would bear a son and His name shall be Jesus.
24. “And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”Luke 1:26-35 (KJV)
25. “The following month God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin, Mary, engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Congratulations, favored lady! The Lord is with you!”Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.“Don’t be frightened, Mary,” the angel told her, “for God has decided to wonderfully bless you! Very soon now, you will become pregnant and have a baby boy, and you are to name him ‘Jesus.’ He shall be very great and shall be called the Son of God. And the Lord God shall give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he shall reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom shall never end!”Mary asked the angel, “But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin.”The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of God shall overshadow you; so the baby born to you will be utterly holy—the Son of God.”Luke 1:26-35 (LB)
26. Manoah and his wife received God as Angel. He came to the woman and promised her that she would conceive and bear a son who would be a Nazarite and would be great and save Israel from the hands of the Philistines.
27. “And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name:But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.Then Manoahintreated the Lord, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her.And the woman made haste, and ran, and shewed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day.And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am.And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?And the angel of the Lord said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware.She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe.And Manoah said unto the angel of the Lord, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee.And the angel of the Lord said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the Lord. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the Lord.And Manoah said unto the angel of the Lord, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour?And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the Lord: and the angel did wonderously; and Manoah and his wife looked on.For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.But the angel of the Lord did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the Lord.And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.But his wife said unto him, If the Lord were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have shewedus all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these.Judges 13:1-23 (KJV)
28. “Once again Israel sinned by worshiping other gods, so the Lord let them be conquered by the Philistines, who kept them in subjection for forty years.Then one day the Angel of the Lord appeared to the wife of Manoah, of the tribe of Dan, who lived in the city of Zorah. She had no children, but the Angel said to her, “Even though you have been barren so long, you will soon conceive and have a son!Don’t drink any wine or beer and don’t eat any food that isn’t kosher. Your son’s hair must never be cut, for he shall be a Nazirite, a special servant of God from the time of his birth; and he will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.”The woman ran and told her husband, “A man from God appeared to me and I think he must be the Angel of the Lord, for he was almost too glorious to look at. I didn’t ask where he was from, and he didn’t tell me his name, 7 but he told me, ‘You are going to have a baby boy!’ And he told me not to drink any wine or beer and not to eat food that isn’t kosher, for the baby is going to be a Nazirite—he will be dedicated to God from the moment of his birth until the day of his death!”Then Manoah prayed, “O Lord, please let the man from God come back to us again and give us more instructions about the child you are going to give us.”The Lord answered his prayer, and the Angel of God appeared once again to his wife as she was sitting in the field. But again she was alone—Manoah was not with her— so she quickly ran and found her husband and told him, “The same man is here again!”Manoah ran back with his wife and asked, “Are you the man who talked to my wife the other day?”“Yes,” he replied, “I am.”So Manoah asked him, “Can you give us any special instructions about how we should raise the baby after he is born?”And the Angel replied, “Be sure that your wife follows the instructions I gave her. She must not eat grapes or raisins, or drink any wine or beer, or eat anything that isn’t kosher.”Then Manoah said to the Angel, “Please stay here until we can get you something to eat.”“I’ll stay,” the Angel replied, “but I’ll not eat anything. However, if you wish to bring something, bring an offering to sacrifice to the Lord.” (Manoah didn’t yet realize that he was the Angel of the Lord.)Then Manoah asked him for his name. “When all this comes true and the baby is born,” he said to the Angel, “we will certainly want to tell everyone that you predicted it!”“Don’t even ask my name,” the Angel replied, “for it is a secret.”Then Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered it as a sacrifice to the Lord; and the Angel did a strange and wonderful thing, for as the flames from the altar were leaping up toward the sky, and as Manoah and his wife watched, the Angel ascended in the fire! Manoah and his wife fell face downward to the ground, and that was the last they ever saw of him. It was then that Manoah finally realized that it had been the Angel of the Lord.“We will die,” Manoah cried out to his wife, “for we have seen God!”But his wife said, “If the Lord were going to kill us, he wouldn’t have accepted our burnt offerings and wouldn’t have appeared to us and told us this wonderful thing and done these miracles.””Judges 13:1-23 (LB)
29. This account shows clearly that it was a man that came to Manoah and wife. He was called the Angel of the Lord, yet he was a man. The wife told the husband that, “A man of God came unto me and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of the Lord”.
30. Later, the Man, Angel of God, turned out to be GOD HIMSELF!
31. “But the angel of the Lord did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the Lord. And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.” Judges 13:21-22 ( KJV)
32. We have seen God! So it is clear that Angels can be Godin form of human beings.
ARTICLE 5
A MUSLIM BELIEVES IN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT
1. “This world as we know it will come to an end and the dead will rise to stand for their final and fair trial. Everything we do, say, make, intend and think are accounted for and kept in accurate records. They are brought up on the day of Judgement.
2. People with good records will be generously rewarded and warmly welcomed to God’s Heaven. People with bad records will be fairly punished and cast into Hell.
3. The real nature of Heaven and Hell are known to God only, but they are described by God in man’s familiar terms in the Quran.
4. If some good deeds are seen not to get full appreciation and credit in this life, they will receive full compensation and be widely acknowledged on the Day of Judgement.
5. If some people who commit sins, neglect God and indulge in immoral activities seem superficially successful and prosperous in this life, absolute justice will be done to them on the Day of Judgement.
6. The time of the Day of Judgement is only known to God and God alone”.
7. The Scriptures are replete with many verses talking about God judging His people; judging the earth; judging everybody for what he or she has done with the life He (God) has bestowed on him or her.
8. “For the Lord will judge his people, and he will repent himself concerning his servants.” Psalm 135:14 (KJV)
9. “For the Lord shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.” Deuteronomy 32:36 (KJV)
10. “If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me.” Deuteronomy 32:41 (KJV)
11. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
12. “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” Acts 17:30-31 (KJV)
13. Every believer in Christ should be mindful of this judgment of God. To avoid it, one should fully obey God and submit to God’s Leadership in the Human Tabernacle He is hiding in.
14. “But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” Romans 14:10-12.
15. “In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.” Romans 2:16 (KJV)
16. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:10
17. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” Hebrews 9:27 (KJV)
18. “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Rev. 22:12(KJV)
19. “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.” Rev. 20:12-13, (KJV)
20. God is the judge of both the living and the dead. He judges with equity and in righteousness.
21. All that believe and obey are absolved of every sin. There is no place to hide.
22. God’s righteous judgment will definitely catch up with evil doers because any seed a man sows, that he must reap.
23. So there is judgment for everybody except those that have accepted God’s verdict through He whom He has sent, Son of Man, A
postle Peter Odoemena.
ARTICLE 6
A MUSLIM BELIEVES IN “QADAA” AND “QADAR”.
1. “Qadaa” and “Qadar” means the Timeless Knowledge of God and His power to plan and execute His plans. God is not indifferent to this world nor is He neutral to it.
2. God is Wise, Just and Loving and whatever He does must have a good motive, although we may fail sometimes to understand it fully.
3. We should have strong faith in God and accept whatever He does because our knowledge is limited and our thinking is based on individual consideration, whereas His knowledge is limitless and He plans on a universal basis.
4. Man should think, plan, and make sound choices, but if things do not happen the way he wants, he should not lose faith and surrender himself to mental strains or shattering worries”.
5. The bible records that God has infinite knowledge and His wisdom past finding out. He does everything according to His foreknowledge and his counsel.
6. “Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.” Acts 15:18 (KJV)
7. “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?” Romans 11:33-36 (KJV)
8. “How great are God’s riches! How deep are his wisdom and knowledge! Who can explain his decisions? Who can understand his ways? As the scripture says, “Who knows the mind of the Lord? Who is able to give him advice?Who has ever given him anything, so that he had to pay it back?”For all things were created by him, and all things exist through him and for him. To God be the glory forever! Amen. For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” Romans 11:33-36(GNB)
9. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55: 8 – 9 (KJV)
10. “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.” Acts 2:23 (KJV)
11. “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”Romans 8:29 (KJV)
12. “God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew” Romans 11:2 (KJV)
13. God knows the end from the beginning.
14. “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” Isaiah 46:10 (KJV).
15. Our plans are not His plans. Man has always been opposing God. This is because God’s ways are not man’s ways. God’s thoughts are not man’s thoughts.
16. This is why the Psalmist was wise when he prayed that God would cause him to choose God’s plans and not his own plans.
17. “Turn me away from wanting any other plan than yours. Revive my heart toward you.” Psalm 119: 37 (LB).
ARTICLE 7
A MUSLIM BELIEVES THAT THE PURPOSE OF LIFE IS TO WORSHIP GOD.
1. “Worshipping God does not mean we spend our entire lives in constant seclusion and absolute meditation. To worship God is to live life according to His commands, not to run away from it.
2. To worship God is to know Him, to love Him, to obey His commands, to enforce His laws in every aspect of life, to serve His cause by doing right and shunning evil and to be just to Him, to ourselves and to our fellow human beings”.
3. The scriptures declare the purpose of life of every being created in the image of God and made a living soul. God’s purpose of creating man is that man worship Him. He was the Self-Existing One but wanted to live with His family and so He created man so that man would worship Him for Him to be God over man. God means Object of Worship. So before He made man, He was not God to man.
4. When God created Adam and Eve, God was enjoying their worship, coming down in the cool of the day to have fellowship with the man He created, until the man and the wife committed iniquity.
5. “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” Genesis 1:1 – 3 (KJV)
6. When God came down from normal fellowship, sin in Adam and Eve made them to hide away from God, there was now a demarcation between man and God. Worship stopped. Consequently, there was chaos everywhere. The first sons Adam and Eve had were Cain and Abel. Cain killed Abel. It was after Eve delivered another son called Seth that worshipping of God started again.
7. The bible makes it clear that the purpose of life for man is to worship God, know God and be properly acquainted with Him to render unto Him due and acceptable worship.
8. Both father Abraham, his descendants, the psalmists, the prophets, down to Jesus Christ all affirmed that the purpose of life for man is to worship God.
9. “Seth had a son whom he named Enosh. It was then that people began using the Lord’s holy name in worship.” Genesis 4: 26 (GNB)
10. “After that, he moved on south to the hill country east of the city of Bethel and set up his camp between Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There also he built an altar and worshiped the Lord.” Genesis 12: 8 (GNB)
11. “Then he left there and moved from place to place, going toward Bethel. He reached the place between Bethel and Ai where he had camped before and had built an altar. There he worshiped the Lord.”Genesis 13: 3 – 4 (GNB)
12. “Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and worshiped the Lord, the Everlasting God.” Genesis 21: 33 (GNB)
13. “When they came to the place which God had told him about, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. He tied up his son and placed him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he picked up the knife to kill him. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!” He answered, “Yes, here I am.” “Don’t hurt the boy or do anything to him,” he said. “Now I know that you honor and obey God, because you have not kept back your only son from him.” Genesis 22: 9 – 12 (GNB).
14. Here, Abraham epitomized worship. Total surrender of all he valued most to the service of God. Worship means worshipful obedience, total submission and surrender, dedication and devotion to the perfect will of God without reservation!
15. Completely surrendering to the plans of God and not holding unto one’s own plans.
16. “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness” Psalm 95: 6 – 8 (KJV)
17. “And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?” Deuteronomy 10: 12 – 13 (KJV)
18. “Ye shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. Ye shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.”Deuteronomy 5:32-33 (KJV)
19. “Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.” Jeremiah 9: 23 – 24 (KJV)
20. “The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John 4: 17 – 24 (KJV)
21. The father seeketh such to worship Him. Therefore it is very clear that God giveth man life so that man would worship God. The scripture declares the whole duty of man, why man has life and is a living being.
22. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Ecclesiastes 12: 13 – 14 (KJV)
23. This is the essence of God giving man life.
24. “And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19: 10 (KJV)
ARTICLE 8
A MUSLIM BELIEVES THAT MAN ENJOYS A SPECIALLY HIGH RANKING STATUS IN THE HIERARCHY OF ALL KNOWN CREATURES.
1. “Man occupies this distinguished position because he alone is gifted with rational faculties and spiritual aspirations as well as powers of action.
2. Man is not a condemned race from birth to death, but a dignified being potentially capable of good and noble achievements”.
3. The bible teaches us that God created man after He created everything on earth. He (God) then gave man the authority over everything He created.
4. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” Genesis 1: 26 – 28 (KJV)
5. “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:” Psalms 8: 4 – 6 (KJV)
6. “Lord, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him! Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.” Psalms 144: 3 – 4 (KJV)
7. God gave man charge over all the creatures God made. Man is the only being capable of moral conflict.
8. “But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.” Hebrews 2: 6 – 8 (KJV)
ARTICLE 9
A MUSLIM BELIEVES THAT EVERY PERSON IS BORN “MUSLIM”
1. “Every person is endowed by God with spiritual potential and intellectual inclination that can make him a good Muslim.
2. Every person’s birth takes place according to the will of God in realization of His plans and in submission to His commands”.
3. God has given every man the option either to obey God and receive His blessings or to disobey God and receive punishment. This was what happened in the Garden of Eden. God showed man what would follow if he would disobey and what would follow if he obeyed.
4. “And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2: 15 – 17 (KJV)
5. Man chose to disobey.
6. “See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” Deuteronomy 30: 15 – 20 (KJV)
7. “Look, today I have set before you life and death, depending on whether you obey or disobey. I have commanded you today to love the Lord your God and to follow his paths and to keep his laws, so that you will live and become a great nation, and so that the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to possess. But if your hearts turn away and you won’t listen—if you are drawn away to worship other gods— then I declare to you this day that you shall surely perish; you will not have a long, good life in the land you are going in to possess.“I call heaven and earth to witness against you that today I have set before you life or death, blessing or curse. Oh, that you would choose life; that you and your children might live! Choose to love the Lord your God and to obey him and to cling to him, for he is your life and the length of your days. You will then be able to live safely in the land the Lord promised your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”Deuteronomy 30: 15 – 20 (LB)
8. It should be noted that God Himself decides who will obey and those who will not obey because it takes God to help His children to obey Him and worship Him aright.
9. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Philippians 2: 13 (KJV)
10. “And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.For hesaith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?0 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:” Romans 9: 10 – 22 (KJV)
11. Man’s efforts are as good as filthy rags.
12. “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Isaiah 64: 6 (KJV)
13. “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:” Philippians 3: 8 – 9 (KJV)
14. “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” Romans 10: 3 (KJV)
15. “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaiassaith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
16. 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10: 8 – 17 (KJV)
ARTICLE 10
A MUSLIM BELIEVES THAT EVERYBODY IS BORN FREE FROM SIN.
1. “When the person reaches the age of maturity and if he is sane, he becomes accountable for all his deeds and intentions. Man is free from sin until he commits sin.
2. There is no inherited sin, no original sin. Adam committed the first sin, he prayed to God for pardon, and God granted Adam pardon”.
3. Sin is committed and not inherited. The scriptures says that whoever that commits sin is of the devil. The person born of God does not commit sin because he is a seed of God.
4. “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God”.1 John 3:8-9 (KJV)
5. “But if you keep on sinning, it shows that you belong to Satan, who since he first began to sin has kept steadily at it. But the Son of God came to destroy these works of the devil. 9 The person who has been born into God’s family does not make a practice of sinning because now God’s life is in him; so he can’t keep on sinning, for this new life has been born into him and controls him—he has been born again”.1 John 3:8-9 (LB)
6. “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it”.John 8:44 (KJV)
7. “The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;”Matthew 13:38 (KJV)
8. The devil has been fighting all along. Jesus Christ exposed him among those that milled around Him.
9. “As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die”.Ezekiel 18:3-4 (KJV)
10. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him”.Ezekiel 18:20 (KJV)
ARTICLE 11
A MUSLIM BELIEVES THAT MAN MUST WORK OUT HIS SALVATION THROUGH THE GUIDANCE OF GOD.
1. “No one can act on behalf of another or intercede between him and God.
2. In order, to obtain salvation a person must combine faith and action, belief and practice. Faith without doing good deeds is as insufficient as doing good deeds without faith”.
3. The Bible records that man must work out his salvation with fear and trembling.
4. “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure”.Philippians 2:12-13 (KJV)
5. “Dearest friends, when I was there with you, you were always so careful to follow my instructions. And now that I am away you must be even more careful to do the good things that result from being saved, obeying God with deep reverence, shrinking back from all that might displease him. 13 For God is at work within you, helping you want to obey him, and then helping you do what he wants”.Philippians 2:12-13 (LB)
6. “So then, my dear ones, just as you have always obeyed [my instructions with enthusiasm], not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ]. 13 For it is [not your strength, but it is] [a]God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure.”Philippians 2:12-13 (AMP)
7. “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.”James 2:14-18 (KJV)
8. “What is the benefit, my fellow believers, if someone claims to have faith but has no [good] works [as evidence]? Can that [kind of] faith save him? [No, a mere claim of faith is not sufficient—genuine faith produces good works.]If a brother or sister is without [adequate] clothing and lacks [enough] food for each day,and one of you says to them, “Go in peace [with my blessing], [keep] warm and feed yourselves,” but he does not give them the necessities for the body, what good does that do?So too, faith, if it does not have works [to back it up], is by itself dead [inoperative and ineffective].But someone may say, “You [claim to] have faith and I have [good] works; show me your [alleged] faith without the works [if you can], and I will show you my faith by my works [that is, by what I do].”(AMP)
9. Anyone that believes God should strive conscientiously, intentionally and purposefully to obey God, submit to His will at all times and cultivates this as a habit. Obedience to the word of God works effectually in the individual and produces the desired result. Whatever instruction God gives, the person takes a bold step of faith by taking the necessary action to obey that instruction. If it does not happen, the person’s faith is dead and such a person cannot get salvation.
ARTICLE 12
A MUSLIM BELIEVES THAT GOD DOES NOT HOLD ANY PERSON RESPONSIBLE UNTIL HE HAS SHOWN HIM THE RIGHT WAY
1. “If people do not know and have no way of knowing about Islam, they will not be responsible for failing to be Muslim. Every Muslim must preach Islam in words and in action.
2. This is fully embedded in the Holy Bible. If people are not taught the way of the True God, they cannot know and cannot worship God aright. It must take God in form of a man, a person to teach the people of God.
3. “And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.”Isaiah 54:13 (KJV)
4. “And all your [spiritual] sons will be disciples [of the Lord],
And great will be the [a]well-being of your sons.”Isaiah 54:13 (AMP)
5. “It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.” John 6:45 (KJV)
6. “It is written in the prophets, ‘And they will all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has listened to and learned from the Father, comes to Me.”John 6:45 (AMP)
7. “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”Micah 4:1-2 (KJV)
8. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher. And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaiassaith, Lord, who hath believed our report?So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”Romans 10:13-17 (KJV)
9. Faith comes when one has heard the word of God preached. If there is no preaching, people should not be blamed because if one is not taught, he should not be blamed.
ARTICLE 13
A MUSLIM BELIEVES THAT FAITH IS NOT COMPLETE WHEN IT IS FOLLOWED BLINDLY OR ACCEPTED UNQUESTIONINGLY.
1. “Man must build his faith on well-grounded convictions beyond any reasonable doubt and above uncertainty.
2. Islam insured freedom to believe and forbids compulsion in religion. One of the oldest synagogues and one of the oldest churches in the world are in Muslim countries”.
3. The Bible teaches that whoever comes to God must first believe that He is and He exists and that He rewards those that diligently seek Him.
4. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”Hebrews 11:6 (KJV)
5. One must be fully convinced before one subscribes. One must ask questions and get convincing answers before one would subscribe in the faith of Christ; the Messiah (Isa).
6. When the Queen of Sheba heard about Solomon, and his fame, she came to prove him with hard questions, at the end of which she was convinced and so believed.
7. “And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with hard questions.And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not.And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon’s wisdom, and the house that he had built,And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord; there was no more spirit in her.And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.”1 King 10:1-7 (KJV)
8. When Moses met God in the burning bush in Midian, God called him and told him He (God) was sending him (Moses) to Egypt to deliver His people, the Israelites from Egypt, Moses asked God questions to be convinced of who was talking to him as well as know the power to go with him.
9. Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.”Exodus 3:1-15 (KJV)
10. Moses even went as far as asking God what His name was. When Moses was convinced that it was God, Moses was fully dedicated and devoted. In worshipping of God, one must be fully convinced.
11. When Joshua met the Commander of the Lord’s Army, on his way to a battle, Joshua inquired who He was and when Joshua knew He was the Commander of the Armies of the LORD, Joshua worshipped and received instructions from Him. He never joked with the instructions. He obeyed all.
12. “And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant?And the captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.”Joshua 5:13-15 (KJV)
13. When the Lord Jesus Christ (Isa) was here during the first advent, His disciples, Peter and the rest of them, asked Him what they should get in return after they had forsaken everything and followed Him.
14. “Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.”Matthew 19:27-29 (KJV)
15. Peter and the rest of the Apostles were assured of eternal life. They were convinced and certain of what they were doing and who they were following. That was why when many people that followed Jesus Christ went away from Him because of “hard sayings”, He uttered. Peter and his colleagues continued to follow Jesus Christ. When He asked them whether they would not go away also, Peter answered Him convincingly that they were sure and certain of who He was.
16. “Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?”John 6:60-61(KJV)
17. “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.”John 6:66-69 (KJV)
18. Peter and those with him were convinced they had found the Messiah and that was all they needed. Every believer in Christ must therefore get convinced through proving everything. the Bible says we should not believe every spirit but try every spirit to know what it is.
19. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”1 John 4:1 (KJV)
ARTICLE 14
A MUSLIM BELIEVES THAT THE QURAN IS THE WORD OF GOD REVEALED TO PROPHET MUHAMMED THROUGH THE ANGEL GABRIEL
1. “The Quran was revealed from God on various occasions to answer questions, solve problems, settle disputes and to be man’s best guide to the truth.
2. The Quran was revealed in Arabic and it is still in its original and complete Arabic version until today. It is memorized by millions”.
3. The bible talks about Moses receiving the lively oracles through the Angel, on Mount Sinai.
4. “This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:”Acts 7:37-38 (KJV)
5. “Moses himself told the people of Israel, ‘God will raise up a Prophet much like me[a] from among your brothers.’ How true this proved to be, for in the wilderness, Moses was the go-between—the mediator between the people of Israel and the Angel who gave them the Law of God—the Living Word—on Mount Sinai.” (LB)
6. “And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;”Exodus 19:3 (KJV)
7. “And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lorddescended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.And the Lord came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.”Exodus 19:17-20 (KJV)
8. These lively Oracles were delivered to the children of Israel as commandments, statutes, laws they must obey. These are true of the believers in Christ. Christ is the Mighty Angel with the message that is going round the world now.
9. Again, nobody can give the message of God without being inspired.
10. “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”2 Peter 1:19-21 (KJV)
ARTICLE 15
A MUSLIM BELIEVES IN A CLEAR DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE QURAN AND THE TRADITIONS OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD
1. “Whereas the Quran is the word of God, the Traditions of Prophet Muhammad (his teachings, sayings, and actions) are the practical interpretations of the Quran.
2. Both the Quran and the Traditions of the Prophet Muhammad are the primary sources of knowledge in Islam”.
3. The Bible is the written inspired messages from holy men of old who spoke as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance. The same Spirit of Christ that was in them when they spoke what was documented in the bible is here again as the Resurrected Body, the Christ. He is that Holy Spirit who was promised to come and lead us into all Truths. He is the One it was said would come and reveal many things Jesus could not do, as in John 16:12.
4. “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.” John 16:12 (KJV)
5. He is therefore declaring many things, He is that God we are having in person as our Teacher.
6. “It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.”John 6:45 (KJV)
7. Therefore in the Body of Christ, there are Apostles and Prophets who lay the foundation of the Church. Their words are doctrines and are a direct interpretation of the Holy Scriptures and more.
8. “This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:”2 Peter 3:1-2 (KJV)
9. “This is my second letter to you, dear brothers, and in both of them I have tried to remind you—if you will let me—about facts you already know: facts you learned from the holy prophets and from us apostles who brought you the words of our Lord and Saviour.” (LB)
10. The facts are there. The Resurrected Body, The Revealed Christ of this age, the Son of Man Apostle Peter Odoemena, the Star ofDavid, He that is uniting the Muslims, the Jews, the Christians and all other Gentiles together, is here to bring the two sticks (Ephraim and Judah) together. He is here to end the feud between Isaac and Ishmael.
11. To God be the Glory.