Islam and Christianity Contrasted

1- ISLAM'S BEGINNING AND SPREAD

Mohammed, the founder of Islam, was born in 570 A.D. in the city of Mecca. He was an Arab. When young he studied both Judaism and Christianity he was convinced that there is only one true and living God, Allah. Mohammed traveled extensively in Arabia. The Arabs were believers in many gods and spirits and this idolatry troubled Mohammad.

When 40 years old he claimed that the archangel Gabriel had called him and revealed that Allah had chosen him to be the last of the prophets, and to preach submission to the will of Allah. The name Islam means submission, and Muslim or Moslem is one who submits to the will of Allah. The time of the claimed visit of Gabriel was about 610 A.D. which marks the beginning of his ministry.

In 622 A.D. Mohammad journeyed to Medina. In Muslim history this flight is called the Hegira; it is the turning point in Mohammad's career, and in the history of Islam. Our Christian calendar is based on the birth of Christ, and the Islamic calendar is based on the Hegira.

In Medina, Mohammad built the first Mosque, and started the practices of Islam, like Friday prayer, prostration during prayer, and the call to prayer from the roof of the Mosque. He organized an army, and by force imposed his will on the surrounding cities. In 630, eight years after he had fled from Mecca, Mohammad returned with an army of 10,000 men, and took Mecca. He destroyed all the city's idols and made its Kaabah, the holiest shrine in Islam with its venerated black stone.

The Kaabah and its venerated black stone had before Mohammed been the holiest shrine in all Arabia. Muslims teach that Abraham and Ishmael came to Mecca, and built the Kaabah and imbedded the black stone in one of the corners of the building. The black stone, according to Arab tradition, fell from heaven in the days of Adam. Therefore the Kaabah is considered the most sacred shrine in Islam. The Great Mosque of Mecca is built around the Kaabah and the black stone. It is the dream of every Muslim to journey to Mecca, at sometime in life. The second most sacred shrine is the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. Muslims believe and teach that from the great rock within the Dome, Mohammad ascended into heaven.

After the rule of Mohammad was established in Mecca, his armies went into all parts of Arabia. In 632, two years after his death, all Arabia had been united under the banner of Islam.

After the death of Mohammad Islam spread, by means of the sword, over vast areas of Africa and Asia. When conquered, these polytheistic nations were given a choice, convert to Islam or die. However, the believers in the one God, Jews and Christians, were treated generously.

The armies of Islam conquered the city of Damascus (635 A.D.) and Jerusalem three years later. Then Caesarea, on the Palestinian coast, and then all of Egypt fell under Islam in 640. Next, Persia (now Iran) was conquered between 640 and 650 A.D. Next the armies invaded and took Spain. All Europe was endangered by this spread of Islam. The Islamic armies were threatening Constantinople from the east and were poised in Spain to strike from the west. In 732 Charles Martel at Tours in France defeated the Muslim armies. This battle of Tours is one of the most decisive in western history. If the Muslims had been victorious then, all Europe and America today would possibly be Islamic.

Within one hundred years after the death of Mohammed, Islam had spread all the way from India to Spain and has been the dominant religion in that part of the world ever since. The Muslims are so numerous that this makes them second only to Christianity in numbers. I am using the word Christianity as the world uses it.

The apostle Paul wrote, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ... (2 Cor 10:4,5)

2- THE PROPHETHOOD IN ISLAM

The Institute of Islamic Information and Education is dedicated to the cause of Islam in North America. The Institute's purpose is to elevate the image of Islam and Muslims by providing the correct information about Islamic beliefs. I have in my possession several of their tracts which I will critique, in this series.

The Muslims believe that Mohammad was a prophet selected by Allah (God) to carry His message to mankind. The prophets that followed Mohammad had to possess certain features. The first of the three features is contained in this writing. The italicized words are taken from Islamic material.

The New Testament prophets were set in the church by God along with the variety of offices and services. The office of the prophets was a spiritual gift. 1 Cor. 12:28 "And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues." Eph. 4:11,12.15 "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ." The common denominator between the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers is the word of God. Each office proclaimed the gospel. Paul wrote, "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills." 1 Cor. 12:7-11

Like the apostles, the prophets of the New Testament were inspired by the Holy Spirit to reveal God's will to mankind. Look at Eph. 3:5 "which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets." And 2 Peter 1:16,19-21 "For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty… And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed … knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." In their preaching and teaching the prophets spoke of the Lord's coming. Mohammad taught that Jesus was just another prophet and not the Son of God.

The inspiration and miracles of the apostles ended with the death of the last apostle, John. "Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away." 1 Cor. 13:8-10. Also the inspiration of the New Testament prophets came to an end when the perfect had come or the complete revelation as contained in the New Testament. The spiritual gift of prophecy ceased with the death of the last New Testament prophet. Mohammad came 600 years too late to be the last prophet. Mohammad came 600 years too late to be inspired by the Holy Spirit. Mohammad ignored the completed inspired scriptures - the gospel of Christ, whom Mohammad acknowledged to be a prophet of God (Allah).

1) He (a prophet - TB) is the best in his community morally and intellectually. His personality should attract people.... rather than drive them away by his imperfect character. After receiving the message he (a prophet) is infallible. That is, he would not commit sin. He might make some minor mistakes which are usually corrected by revelation. (Tract - Prophethood in Islam)

John wrote, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." 1 John 1:8-10. What John writes includes the New Testament prophets. For them to say they had no sin, like it is claimed for Islamic prophets, means they do not have the truth. Making them false prophets like Mohammad and the present prophethood! No sin means no truth or word of God.

Again we read, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world." 1 John 4:1. John is saying that we must not place our confidence and trust in anyone, who calls himself a prophet of God, and claims to be bringing us God's word, preaches and teaches and asks us to believe. Mohammad fits the bill; he pretended to have the Spirit of God, to be moved by the Spirit, and to bring God's word to men. He was a "pesudo-prophet." Every Christian is to "test" the preachers and teachers that instruct them. Paul wrote; that we measure preachers and teachers against the gospel that he preached. (Gal. 1:6-10). Testing requires a standard to measure by, and the gospel is that standard. Mohammad was never tested with the gospel of Christ. When such is done he fails the test, and stands before us as a false prophet.

The Moslems try to keep their adherents from discussing and measuring their belief system against the gospel of Christ. What they believe to be true has never been really tested by the truth - the will of God, and exposed as being false. The Koran sets forth a message of death and not life.

3- THE PROPHETHOOD IN ISLAM

2. He is supported by miracles to prove that he is not an impostor. Mohammad's major miracle was the Quran, the equivalent of which the whole legion of the Arab poets and orators could not produce.... Again Mohammad's miracle has something special about it. All previous miracles were limited by time and place.... Not so the miracle of Muhammad, the Quran. It is universal and an everlasting miracle. ...generations will witness its miraculous nature, style, content, and spiritual uplifting. These still can be tested and will thereby prove the divine origin of the Quran. (Tract - Prophethood in Islam).

Mohammad's miracle is his writing called the Quran (Koran). They are asking us to accept him as a prophet of God based on his writing. Is it any different with the Mormons, for they want us to accept the writings of Joseph Smith and recognize him as a prophet of God? Is it any different with Mary Baker Eddy, for her followers want us to accept her writing and recognize her as a prophetess of God? Some denominational preachers want us to accept what they say; for they claim God speaks to them. As for me and my house we will accept only what I know is from God - the confirmed word, the verified word,, the gospel of Christ.

The word preached by the apostles was confirmed by the miracles, signs and wonders that they performed. In Mark 16:20 "And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs." Hebrews 2:3,4 "how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will? By inspiration the confirmed words of salvation have been recorded in the New Testament. The apostles healed, spoke in tongues, raised the dead, etc. They performed many miracles, signs and wonders among the people confirming their words as being the will of God. With the completion of the New Testament the verifying miracles ceased. "But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away." (1Cor.13:8-10) The New Testament stands today as a miracle not limited to time and place.

The miracles, signs and wonders performed by Jesus covered every area of life. He raised the dead, changed water into wine, fed thousands with a few loaves and fishes, calmed a stormy sea, walked on water, healed incurable diseases, and was raised the third day after his entombment. When have any of the Islamic prophets performed such miracles? The apostles performed similar miracles. Have any of the Islamic prophets?

3. Every prophet states clearly that what he receives is not his own but from God for the well-being of mankind. A prophet does this to show that he is simply conveying the message which is entrusted to him by the One True God of all people of all ages. Prophets are necessary for conveying God's instructions and guidance to mankind....many...questions about God, angels, paradise, hell, etc., can not be answered without direction revelation from the Creator and Knower of the unseen. …answers...must be brought by individuals whom we trust and respect. That is why, messengers are the select of their societies in terms of moral conduct and intellectual ability. Hence, the slanderous Biblical stories about some of the great prophets are not accepted by Muslims. For example, Lot is reported to have committed fornication while drunk, with his daughters; or David sent one of his leaders to death to marry his wife. Prophets to Muslims are greater than what these stories indicate. These stories can not be true from the Islamic point of view. The Quran mentions the names of 25 prophets... These 25 include Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mohammad. These are the five that are the greatest among God's messengers. They are called "the resolute" prophets. (Tract- Prophethood in Islam)

The prophets in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament were human beings. They were free moral agents people who made choices in life, some good some bad. "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months." (James 5:16-17). God is no respecter of persons. When any of the main characters in the scriptures sin that sin is noted, but also it is soon followed with repentance. Elijah was one who fled the scene of activity because he feared for his life, but God forgave him. In 2 Sam. 12:13 David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." And Nathan said to David, "The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die." God forgave David, but the Moslems cannot. It says something about their belief in God (Allah).

It's true that Jesus was a prophet. I read, "Whom (Christ) heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

For Moses truly said to the fathers, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people... To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities." (Acts 3:21-23,26). One of the problems that Moslems have is that they refuse to accept the salvation that the prophet Jesus Christ provides. Yes, Jesus was a prophet who came with words of salvation for all mankind, and to reject these words means destruction.

4- IS JESUS REALLY GOD?

The above caption is the title of a tract put out by "The Institute of Islamic Information and Education." The Koran rejects the concept of the "Divinity" of Jesus and his "Divine Sonship". It teaches that Jesus was just one of the great prophets of God. You will notice the quotes from the Koran are most difficult to understand. In this respect it is very much like the original Book of Mormon. So goes the writings of men.

Regarding the Sonship of Jesus, here is what the Koran teaches: And they say, "The All-merciful has taken unto Himself a son." You have indeed advanced something hideous. The heavens are well nigh rent of it and the earth split asunder, and the mountains well nigh fall down crashing for that they have attributed to the All-Merciful a son; and it behooves not the All-Merciful to take a son. None is there in the heavens and earth but he comes to the All-Merciful as a servant (Koran 3:59). Truly the likeness of Jesus, in God's sight, is as Adam's likeness; He created him of dust, then said He unto him, "Be", and he was. (Koran 3:59). People of the Book, go not beyond the bounds in your religion, and say not as to God but the Truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was only the Messenger of God, and His Word that He committed to Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in God and His Messengers, and say not, "Three", refrain, better is it for you. God is only One God. Glory be to Him - that He should have a son! To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth, God suffices for a guardian. (Koran 4:171)

Jesus, before the Sanhedrin court and the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" Jesus said, "I am..." (Mark 14:61,62). The Samaritan woman said to Jesus, I know that Messiah is coming (who is called Christ). When He comes, He will tell us all things. Jesus said to her, I who speak to you am He Again, Jesus said, ...you are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. (Jno. 8:24,25). Jesus said that he was the Son of the Blessed, and the Messiah, and was not of this world, and unless they believed that He was the Son of God they would die in their sins.

The Muslims believe and teach that Jesus was a prophet, and that a prophet cannot sin. If Jesus is not the Son of God then he is lying (sinning) and thus, cannot be a true prophet. Yet Mohammad "the last prophet" taught that Jesus was a true prophet like Noah, Abraham, and Moses, and as a prophet would not commit sin. Yet, if not the Son of God, then Jesus sinned and could not be a prophet of God! The truth is Mohammad was not a prophet of God!

Regarding the Sonship of Jesus, here is what God said, "When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased." (Luke 3:21,22). On two other occasions our heavenly Father declared Jesus to be His Son (See Matt.17:5; John 12:28,29). Paul wrote, But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law" (Gal. 4:4,5). We learn that the Son was sent out from God. He was sent out on a commission to be executed in the flesh, which required being born of a woman and living under the Law of Moses.

In Koran 5:116,117 we read, And when God said, 0 Jesus son of Mary, did you say unto men, "Take me and my mother as gods, apart from God?" He said I have no right to say what I have no right to do. If indeed I said it, You knew it, knowing what is within Your soul; You know the things unseen. I only said to them what You did command me: Serve God, my Lord and your Lord." And I was a witness over them, while I remained among them; but when You did take me to Yourself the Watcher over them; You are the witness of everything. And truly the likeness of Jesus, in God's sight, is as Adam's likeness; He created him of dust, then said he unto him, "Be", and he was. (Koran 3:59). Muslims emphatically reject the concept of Jesus' divinity and his divine sonship. It makes it clear that the birth of Jesus without a father does not make him the Son of God and points out that Adam and Eve were created by God without a father and mother.

The Koran contradicts the Scriptures. Consider John 1:1-2, 14: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we behold His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John reveals to mankind the existence of the Word (Jesus) in eternity, and the Word taking on flesh and living as a man on earth. The Koran denies the deity of Jesus. The Koran is no more a revelation from God than the book of Mormon or The Key to Science and Health, by Mary Baker Eddy. It is the will of Mohammad, and not the will of God.

Before the birth of Jesus the angel Gabriel announced to Mary, And the angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. (Lk. 1:35). To Joseph, Gabriel said, And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins. So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, "God with us." John writes, But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working." Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. (Jno. 5:17,18). If Jesus didn't mean what the Jews understood him to say, Jesus would have corrected their misunderstanding. However, that is exactly what Jesus meant (see Philippians 2:5,6).

5- THE GODHEAD

Muslims believe that only one God lives and is the Creator of heaven and earth and man. The Koran states: He is God; there is no god but He. He is the knower of the unseen and the visible; He is the All-merciful, the All-compassionate. He is God; there is no god but He.... (59-22). There is no god but He, the Living the Everlasting. Slumber seizes Him not, neither sleep; to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth He is the All-high, the All-glorious(225). The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only the Messenger of God, and His Word that He committed to Mary, and a Spirit from Him. So believe in God and His Messengers, and say not, 'Three.' Refrain; better is it for you. God is only one God Glory be to Him - (He is) above having a son, (4:171) God has not taken to Himself any son, nor is there any god with Him; For then each god would have taken of that which he created and some of them would have risen up over others. (23:91). However, the Bible reveals that there exists a Godhead or Godhood. The Muslims reject such a belief. Let me lead your thoughts in an examination of what the Scriptures teach about the Godhead.

Luke records Paul saying to the Athenians, "Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising." (Acts 17:29). Paul wrote, "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and divinity (Rom. 1:20). Again he writes, "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead (Deity) bodily." (Col. 2:9)

Each passage has a different Greek word form, but all are derivatives of "Theos", and mean "Deity, Divinity, Divine Nature, the Divine Majesty, that which pertains to God, Godhead." The derivatives reveal character of essence, substance, or being of one who is God. Therefore, the Godhead or Godhood is composed of beings, who are of a Divine Nature and possess Divine Majesty. I am using Godhood like we use childhood which describes those who are children because of certain characteristics and qualities. Childhood is the character of being a child. Manhood is the character of being a man and womanhood is the character of being a woman and Godhood is the character of being God.

The Hebrew word "Elohim" translated "God" is plural in form and literally means "the Gods", and its singular meaning is "the Deity." The Hebrew word "Gesenius" is translated "the Deity or God." We read in Gen.1:1, "In the beginning God (Elohim - Gods) created the heavens and the earth." Gen.1:26, "Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to 0ur likeness…" The plurality of the Deity is in the pronouns, "us" and "our."

The Divine personalities composing this plurality or Godhead are the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Matt. 3:16.17, "When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." The Godhead was present at the baptism of Jesus, the Son of God. Matt. 28:1, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Today souls are baptized in the name of the Godhead. Rom. 15:30, "Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me..." 2 Cor. 1 3:14, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all."

The word "God" cannot be used without meaning all the qualities and attributes that make God, God. God the Father, as one Being is of Divine Nature and possesses Divine Majesty. God the Son, as one Being is of Divine Nature and possesses Divine Majesty. God the Holy Spirit, as one Being is of Divine Nature and possesses Divine Majesty. Whatever is said of the Father as Deity is also true of the Son and the Holy Spirit. There cannot be a lesser God or Gods, for Deity is Deity. Herein is the oneness of the Godhead. There can be no dissension between them because they are Deity.

Each of the divine personalities possesses qualities and attributes of divinity, and each is called God. The three constitute the Godhead or Godhood. In 1 Corinthians 8:6 we read, "yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him." Again, Titus 2:13, "our great God and Savior Jesus Christ." Again, Acts 5:3.4, "But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit. You have not lied to men but to God." And again, John 1:1,2,14, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God … And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

As there is one man (humanity or mankind), even so there is one God (divinity, or Godkind): and as there are individual beings in that one humanity, so there are individual beings in that one divinity. In other words the Godhead is composed of more than one God.

6- The Sacred Writings of Islam

There are two writings that the Muslims look to for their belief. One is the Quran (Koran) and the other is the Hadith. The Koran is considered the highest and the Hadith is second to the Koran. To the Muslim the Bible is out of sight, for it has been replaced. However, it is these writings that are the weakest link in Islam's claim of divine origin. Isn't it true that if the Koran is from God that it would then be free from the errors that fill the writings of men? Yet lofty claims are made concerning the Koran to vindicate the religion of Allah. Claiming inspiration does not make it so. It is only by proving it is inspired that counts.

The Bible, down through the years, has been the object of humanistic critics with their unrelenting attacks. These critics spend very little time attacking the Koran, Hadith, Book of Mormon, Watchtower publications, Christian Science writings, etc. Why is the Bible in the cross hairs of the critics? It is not caused by the power of "Bible Believers", but critics attack what they see as threateningly believable. Remember, that only the person who is familiar with the thought and language of the Bible can discern the mediocrity of all other "religious" writings of uninspired men. Mediocrity is a characteristic in which the Bible is unapproachable. It is the truth of the Bible that drives the criticism. The Bible is no ordinary writing, but is the written word which God inspired. The Bible is the writing that cannot be broken.

The Koran (Quran) contains much of the Bible. Since they accept the Koran to be inspired they have to accept the Bible as an inspired book. How else do Adam, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus become known as historical characters to be accepted and believed, by Muslims? In fact the Koran calls upon the reader to inquire of the people of the book (Bible), to determine whether its contents are accurate (Sura 10:90-96), for the Book see Sura 5:70). In other words for the Koran to be accurate it must agree with the Bible. We will show, in coming articles that the Koran is in conflict with the Bible.

Paul wrote to Timothy, All Scripture is given by Inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:16,17). What is written is inspired by God, and is the only authority that must be exercised in the church.
Again, Paul wrote the church at Corinth, "But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For "who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ." (1 Cor 2:9-16) Not only is the Bible composed of verbal inspiration but it is inspired in all of its parts.

As for me and my house we will continue to render unreserved obedience to the gospel of Christ, knowing it is the Word of God, an inspired writing.

7- CONFLICTS WITH THE BIBLE

Genesis 1:31 and Exodus 20:11 reveal that in six days God created the heavens and the earth. In Luke 13:14 Jesus points out that there were six days to work and one more, the Sabbath. Our calendars acknowledge the same number of days in the week. The Quran (Koran) states that the world was created in eight days (Sura 41:9-12). The choice is obvious you can believe Moses, Jesus, and the calendar: or you can believe the Koran.

In Genesis 6,7, we read that Noah and his three sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth were saved in the ark, and that the ark came to rest on Mt. Ararat. The Koran tells us that one son was lost in the flood, as he was taking refuge in a mountain, and the ark came to rest on El-Judi (Sura 11:32-48).

The Bible relates that Abraham settled in Canaan at Hebron, and says nothing about Abraham traveling over 100 miles to Mecca with his son, Ishmael. If Mecca is such a holy place surely the Holy Spirit would have revealed that Abraham and Ishmael traveled to Mecca as stated in the Koran. God commanded Abraham to get rid of Hagar and Ishmael, her son, and he sent them away (Gen. 21:8-20). The only son that came from Sarah is Isaac. God commanded Abraham to take Isaac and offer him as a burnt offering (Gen. 22:1,2). The Quran (Koran) has Abraham sacrificing Ishmael rather than Isaac. It makes no sense at all for Ishmael was the son of Hagar, the handmaid, and not the son of promise which Sarah would birth (Gen. 21:1,2).

In the Koran, Sura 21:68f we read that Nimrod threw Abraham into a fire. The truth is that Abraham was not yet born when Nimrod walked the earth (Gen. 5:11). Muhammad had trouble keeping people in their chronological setting, and separated by the time of their existence. The Koran is filled with people who actually lived thousands of years apart, interacting as if they lived together. The many discrepancies that exist prove the Koran is not divinely inspired.

Names are often incorrect in the Koran. John the Baptist is called Yahya. Saul is called Talut, and Goliath is called Jalut. Mohammad in writing the Koran is responsible for the mistakes. He obviously had many stories and legends mixed together in his mind. Bob Pulliam wrote, Mohammed could not read, so even if he had the reference material, he could not research such matters. (Guardian of Truth, May 4, 1995). Mohammad and Joseph Smith are very much alike, and both founded religions based on falsehoods. Jewish and Gnostic legends were floating around during the time of Mohammed, and some of his misconceptions can be traced to these unbiblical sources, and it helps us understand why the Koran contains so many of its errors.

The Hadith is considered by the Muslims to be divinely inspired. The Hadith gives us a lot of information about the Quran (Koran). We learn that the Koran was written on odds and ends of materials (Vol.6, #509), and gathered into a book by Caliph Uthman, after the death of Muhammad. When Uthman had completed his version, the Hadith, he destroyed all of the Qurans he could find that were in conflict with his version (Vol. 6, #51 0).

Think of what would happen if the Bible said the same about itself. The Bible critics would have a field day. For hundreds of years religious scholars have been comparing thousands of ancient manuscripts of the Bible. There has never been a need for either paper shedders, or incinerators, for conflicting versions.

The Quran (Koran) allows a man to have no more than four wives, and yet Mohammad had 22 wives. This surely makes him a sinner. He is transgressing his own writing. He was not just any sinner, for he was the supposed spokesman for Allah while he was practicing his sin! Some have denied that Muhammad ever sinned, but the Koran clearly indicates to the contrary. He was told to repent of his sin in Sura 40:55. Sura 48:ff speaks of Muhammad's sins, past and future.

It is not necessary that a prophet be sinless. However, for a prophet to receive divine messages for the saving of others while he himself is engaged in open, reprehensible sin is absurd.

Ephesians 5:31 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. Romans 7:1-3 Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. (Luke 16:18) Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.

Note: Ted does not have email. If you wish to comment please e-mail him in care of Greg Gwin at ggwin@edge.net