Does GOD has any Religion?

Did God ever say to Adam and Eve that He has a Religion and/or commanded Adam and his wife to use a certain religion as a means of communicating and worshiping Him? Religion is the service and worship of God or the supernatural, inter-alia, commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance, a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices, a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith, this is according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary.

Adam and Eve were the first to believe in the coming Christ, the Messiah who would destroy the works of the Devil. Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel. 

They taught their children and grandchildren to call on the name of the Lord: Genesis 4:25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. 26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. 

What is the Creator’s religion? If any, to what culturally developed adamic man-made belief modus operandi does God subscribe to? Credo piousness can be a good way to understand God, but it's not an imperative way for a kinship with Him. That intimacy congruity is between you and God, not an ersatz institution and God.

Does it make sense to you for God to have and abide to a man-made religion? Please be informed that, Creator existed prior to both man and formation of religion, meaning God must rest in that which is prior to man and transcends subjective cultural ideologies. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John 4:24, God the Creator is not a man with beliefs, and is not a thing that has possessions. Logic: God can't be a being if He created beings. Once mankind realize this, human race will stop killing each other over religious differences, we will see all religion as a cultural points of view of something Universal, we will stop looking for a man with a big grey beard on a gold throne, and will begin to seek God within our own heart and within all things.

"Jesus said in Luke 17:21 The Kingdom of God is within you". He doesn’t care where you’re from, who you are, or what church you go to — God is inside you, and will always be inside you. Forever.

Go ahead, close your eyes, and talk to Him.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of the Zondervan Corporation. All rights reserved.

The “NIV” and “New International Version” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society.

© 2013 Max Shimba Ministries

Jesus of the Bible is not Isa of the Koran

In this thread I will explain the difference between Jesus of the Bible and Isa of the Koran. Please be informed that, according to the God of the Bible, Names are very important in Biblical terms, in contrast, Allah of the Koran never cares much about the names. God used to name people according to their job, title, and calling. In the Old Testament we often see that the Angel of the Lord would tell the parents of the prophet what to name their child, and we see also that God would often change the prophet’s name after a turning point in the prophet’s life. For example, we see it in the life of Abraham, whose name was changed from Abram (Genesis 17:5), as well as many others through the entire Bible. And it was not just during the Old Testament time; we see it in the New Testament, as well, when Jesus changes the name of Simon into Peter (John 1:42).

Christ Jesus the Son of the Living God, was not given His name because it was the name of His grandfather, not even because His earthly mother "Mary" gave Him that name, but because the Angel of the Lord gave Him the name anointed name - Jesus. As fully and impeccably explained in the gospel of according to Matthew 1:21, “You shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.” Jesus is a Hebrew word meaning “Savior.”

Peter who was known Simon, the apostle said in his preaching to the Jews, “Salvation is in one else; for there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). By that great name Jesus, which is above all names, those who believed in His name went around preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. They commanded sickness and demons to leave the bound and the oppressed in the name of Jesus Christ the Son of the living God, and not in the name of Isa the son of Mary.

Accordingly, Prophet Isa of the Koran is not the same person as our Lord Jesus Christ whom we read about in the Gospel. Actually, Mohammed mentioned Isa as a prophet who was given a book to the people of Israel as it says, “And Allah will teach him (Isa) the Book and Wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel, and (appoint him) as a messenger to the Children of Israel” (Sure 3:48).

Muhammed came with a message to His people, saying, “Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord; and I was a witness over them whilst I dwelt amongst them; when Thou didst take me up Thou wast the Watcher over them, and Thou art a witness to all things” (Sure 5:117), inter-alia, Jesus came with the Revelation, that is why Christians have Holy Spirit who is the Reveler of the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

If Jesus is God, then why did He say the Father was greater than He?

"You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’  If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I,'" (John 14:28).

Jesus said the Father was greater than He not because Jesus is not God, but because Jesus was also a man and as a man he was in a lower position.   He was ". . . made for a little while lower than the angels . . ." (Heb. 2:9).  Also in Phil. 2:5-8, it says that Jesus "emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men . . ."

Jesus has two natures:  divine and human.  Jesus was not denying that He was God.  He was merely acknowledging the fact that He was also a man.  Jesus is both God and man.  As a man, he was in a lesser position than the Father because he had added to Himself human nature (Col. 2:9) and was made under the Law (Gal. 4:4).  He became a man to die for people (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

A comparison of difference of position can be found in the marriage relationship.  Biblically, a husband is greater in position and authority than his wife. He is her head (Eph. 5:23).  But, he is no different in nature and he is not better than she.  They share the same nature, being human, and they work together by love and commitment to the Lord.

So, Jesus was not denying that He was God.  He was simply acknowledging that He was also a man and as a man, he was subject to the laws of God so that He might redeem those who were under the law; namely, sinners (Gal. 4:4-5).

If Jesus was God, why did He say 'No one is good but God alone'?

It is often claimed by those who reject the deity of Christ that inMark 10:17-22Jesus denies His divinity by rejecting the notion that He is good. It reads as follows:

“As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. ‘Good teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ ‘Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered. ‘No one is good – except God alone. You know the commandments: Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’ ‘Teacher,’ he declared, ‘all these I have kept since I was a boy.’ Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One thing you lack,’ he said. ‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ At this, the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.”

Is Jesus here rebuking the man for calling Him good and thereby denying His deity? No. Rather, He is using a penetrating question to push the man to think through the implications of his own words, to understand the concept of Jesus’ goodness and, most especially, the man’s lack of goodness. The young ruler "went away sad" (Mark 10:22) because he realized that although he had devoted himself to keeping the commandments, he had failed to keep the first and greatest of the commandments—love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Matthew 22:37-38). The man’s riches were of more worth to him than God, and thus he was not "good" in the eyes of God.

Jesus and Islam

Here are six questions that followers of Islam, and others, often ask about Jesus...

This will be a very respectful presentation to anyone who wants to know about Jesus. No challenges. And there will be no criticism of any religion, in any way.
Here are six questions answered in this article:

1. Has the Bible been changed from its original?
2. Does God say that one religion will replace another: Judaism, then Christianity, then Islam?
3. Is it not blasphemy to say God has a Son?
4. Did Jesus die on a cross?
5. If Jesus died on a cross, was God dead for 3 days?
6. Why not view Jesus as a prophet?

1. Jesus and Islam: Is the Bible God's Word? Or has it been changed, or corrupted over time?

Just as introduction, here are a few statements found in the Bible: "Until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen will by any means disappear, from the Law until everything has been accomplished."¹
The Word of God will not disappear. Everything in it will be accomplished in its entirety till the very end. Again it states, "Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will never pass away."²
Also, "All scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."³ All scripture is inspired by God.
And, "the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God stands forever."⁴
We need to ask ourselves, "Is God able to protect his word? Is God able to fulfill these statements, that his word will never disappear, never go unfulfilled?"
Is God capable? Yes, of course. This is God's word to all people. Are we accusing God himself by saying that He was not able to protect it from being changed?
Nothing has been changed. That is only a rumor.
The Quran does not say the Bible has been changed. Just the opposite. It honors the Torah and the Bible. It mentions the Torah, and the "Zabur" (the Old Testament and Psalms) and the "Injil" (the New Testament) many times.
When Islam began in the 6th century, 600 years after Jesus Christ, the Bible was accepted as true.
So, you might ask, has the Bible changed since the 6^th century? No. All you have to do is compare today's Bible with a Bible written long ago.
We can find complete Bibles, all the way back to 300 A.D., hundreds of years before the Quran. You can find one in the London Museum, in the Vatican, and many other places. If you compare today's Bible with the Bibles of 300 A.D., the Bible we have today is the same as then.
Did you know that there exists today nearly 25,000 hand-written copies of portions of the New Testament? As historians have compared these manuscripts, they have concluded that the New Testament we have today is at least 99.5% accurate to the original. No change.
(The .5% differences refer to spelling, but no change in meaning.)
Also, you might be familiar with the more recent archeological findings of the Dead Sea Scrolls. These were found in caves of Qumran, just off the northwest corner of the Dead Sea.
Researchers have compared the Bible we have today with what they found, and they remained highly similar, nearly 100% identical.
Don't let anyone tell you that the New Testament or the Bible has been changed from its original writing. That simply is not historically accurate.
The Bible has not been changed.
Ok, but what about having four Gospels? Aren't those different Scriptures, different from each other?

How an Atheist Found God

A personal account from an atheist who was convinced no god exists, and what facts led to God.

By Marilyn Adamson
I disturbed a lot of religious people by asking, "How do you know God exists?"
Perhaps they were wondering about my motives. Or maybe they had no idea how to answer. Most of their responses were, "Well, you just know."
I wasn't trying to be difficult. But I certainly did not "just know." And I was hoping someone did!
After many months of this, I thought, "Here are the people who say they believe in God, but no one knows why!" It was like learning the truth about Santa Claus. It seemed obvious that God was completely fabricated. Maybe some people needed to believe in God but clearly there was no proof. No objective evidence. I came to the most stark conclusion...God did not actually exist.
I held this belief for years, not expecting it to ever change. But then I met someone who caused me to become interested in the possibility of God. She was caring, kind, and very intelligent. It bothered me that someone that intelligent could believe in God.
She talked about God like he was her closest friend. She was convinced he deeply loved her. I knew her life well. Any concern she would take to God, trusting him to work out a way or care for her in some way. She would tell me, quite candidly, that she was merely praying that God would act upon her concerns. For over a year, I regularly saw what seemed to be answers to her prayers. I watched her life through a myriad of circumstances, and her faith in God was unwavering.
So, I wanted to believe in God on one hand, because I admired her life and her love for others. But I couldn't believe in something against my intellect, against my better judgment. God did not exist. A nice idea, but that was all. Wanting something to be true, doesn't make it true.
During this time I was developing a personally built philosophy.

Je, Nina wezaje kupokea msamaha wa dhambi toka kwa Mungu?

Matendo ya Mitume 13:38 yasema, “Basi naijulikane kwenu, ndugu zangu ya kuwa kwa huyo mnahubiriwa msamaha wa dhambi.”

Msamaha ni nini na kwanini ninauhitaji?

Neno “samehe” linamaanisha kusafisha nia au jambo nakulifanya kutokuwa na mawaa yoyote, ku achilia, kufutilia mbali deni. Tunapo kosea mtu, huuliza msamaha wao ili tukarudishe uhusiano. Msamaha haupeanwi kwa sababu mtu anastahili kusamehewa. Hakuna anaye stahili kusamehewa. Msamaha ni ishara ya upendo, huruma na neema. Msamaha ni uamuzi wa kutoshikilia jambo ndani yako kinyume cha mtu mwengine, haijalishi amekukosea kiasi gani.

Bibilia inatuambia yakwamba sote tunahitaji msamaha toka kwa Mungu. Sote tumefanya dhambi. Mhubiri 7:20 asema, “Bila shaka hakuna mwanadamu mwenye haki hapa duniani, ambaye afanya mema, asifanye dhambi.” 1Yohana 1:8 asema, “Tukisema kwamba hatuna dhambi, twajidanganya wenyewe, wala kweli haimo mwetu.” Dhambi zote ni kitendo cha uasi kinyume chake Mungu (Zaburi 51:4). Basi kwa hivyo, tunahitaji kwa vyovyote msamaha wake Mungu. Kama dhambi zetu hazitasamehewa, tutakuwa katika adhabu ya milele tukiteseka kwa ajili ya madhara ya dhambi zetu (Mathayo 25:46;Yohana 3:36).

Msamaha-Je, ni upate vipi?

Kwa shukurani, Mungu ni mwenye upendo na huruma-mwenye ari ya kutusamehe dhambi zetu! 2Petro 3:9 asema, “Yeye hutuvumilia maana hapendi mtu ye yote apotee, bali wote wafikilie toba.” Mungu anatamani kutusamehe, kwa hivyo alitoa kwa ajili ya msamaha wetu.

Adhabu ya haki pekee inayostahili kwa ajili ya dhambi zetu ni mauti. Sehemu ya kwanza ya kitabu cha Warumi 6:23 yasema, “Kwa maana mshahara wa dhambi ni mauti…..” Mauti ya milele ndiyo ndiyo tuliyopokea kama mshahara wa dhambi zetu. Mungu, kwa mpango wake mahususi, alifanyika kuwa mwanadamu - Yesu Kristo (Yohana 1:1, 14). Yesu alikufa juu ya msalaba kwa kuchukua adhabu tuliyo stahili-mauti. 2Wakorintho 5:21 inatufundisha, “Yeye asiyejua dhambi alimfanya kuwa dhambi kwa ajili yetu, ili sisi tupate kuwa haki ya Mungu katika yeye. “Yesu alikufa msalabani, akichukua adhabu tuliyo stahili!Kama Mungu, kifo chake Yesu kilitoa msamaha wa dhambi kwa ulimwengu mzima. 1Yohana 2:2 asema, “Naye ndiye kipatanisho kwa dhambi zetu; wala si kwa dhambi zetu tu, bali na kwa dhambi za ulimwengu wote. “Yesu alifufuka katika wafu, akishuhudia ushindi juu ya dhambi na mauti (1Wakorintho 15:1-28). Mungu apewe sifa kwa kupitia kifo na kufufuka kwake Yesu Kristo, Sehemu yote ya pili ya kitabu cha Warumi 6:23 ni kweli, “…bali karama ya Mungu ni uzima wa milele katika Kristo Yesu Bwana wetu.”

Je umeshapata Zawadi ya Uzima wa milele?

Bibilia inaonyesha njia ya wazi ya uzimani.Mwanzo ni sharti tutambue yakwamba tumetenda dhambi kinyume chake Mungu: “Kwasababu wote wamefanya dhambi, na kupungukiwa na utukufu wa Mungu” (Warumi 3:23). Sote tumefanya mambo ambayo hayampendezi Mungu,ambayo yanafanya tustahili adhabu.Kwa kuwa dhambi zetu ziko kinyume kabisa na Mungu aliye uzima wa milele,basi ni adhabu ya milele pekee itoshayo. “Kwa maana mshahara wa dhambi ni mauti,bali karama ya Mungu ni uzima wa milele katika Kristo Yesu Bwana wetu” (Warumi 6:23).

Hata hivyo Yesu Kristo asiyekuwa na dhambi (1 Petro 2:23), mwana wa Mungu alifanyika kuwa mwanadamu (Yohana 1:1,14) na akafa ili kutulipia adhabu. “Bali Mungu aonyesha pendo lake yeye mwenyewe kwetu sisi,kwa kuwa Kristo alikufa kwa ajili yetu,tulipokuwa tungali wenye dhambi” (Warumi 5:8). Yesu Kristo alikufa msalabani (Yohana 19:31-42), kwa kuchukua adhabu ambayo sisi tulistahili (2Wakorintho 5:21). Siku tatu baadaye akafufuka katika wafu (1Wakorintho 15:1-4), kudhihirisha ushindi juu ya dhambi na mauti. “kwa rehema zake nyingi alituzaa mara ya pili ili tupate tumaini lenye uzima kwa kufufuka kwake Yesu Kristo katika wafu” (1Petro 1:3).

Kwa imani ni sharti tuungame dhambi zetu na tumrejee Kristo kwa ajili ya wokovu (Matendo 3:19). Tukiweka imani yetu kwake, kwa kuamini kifo chake msalabani kama malipo ya dhambi zetu,tutasamehewa na kuahidiwa uzima wa milele mbinguni. “Kwa maana jinsi hii Mungu aliupenda ulimwengu, hata akamtoa mwanawe pekee, ili kila mtu amwaminiye asipotee, bali awe na uzima wa milele” (Yohana 3:16). “Kwa sababu,ukimkiri Yesu kwa kinywa chako ya kuwa ni Bwana, na kuamini moyoni mwako ya kuwa Mungu alimfufua katika wafu, utaokoka” (Warumi 10:9). Imani pekee katika kazi aliyo ikamilisha Kristo pale msalabani ndiyo njia ya kweli ya pekee ya uzimani! “Kwa maana nimeokolewa kwa neema, kwa njia ya imani; ambayo hiyo haikutokana na nafsi zetu, ni kipawa cha Mungu; wala si kwa matendo, mtu awaye yoyote asije akajisifu” (Waefeso 2:8-9).

Ni kwa nini uzao wa ubikira ni wa maana?

 Funzo la uzao wa ubikira ni la maana sana (Isaya 7:14 Mathayo 1:23; Luka 1:27,34). Kwanza, hebu tuangazie vile bibilia inavyo lieleza swala la uzao wa ubikira. Kulingana na swali la Mariamu, “Litakuwaje neno hili?” (Luka 1:34), Gabrieli anasema, “Roho Mtakatifu atakujilia juu yako, na nguvu zake Aliye juu zitakufunika kama kivuli; kwa sababu hiyo hicho kitakachozaliwa kitaitwa kitakatifu, Mwana wa Mungu” (Luka 1:35). Malaika alimtia moyo Zekaria isiwe na hofu mchukue Mariamu kama mke wako kwa maneno haya: “mimba aliyoibeba ni kwa uwezo wa Roho Mtakatifu” (Mathayo 1:18). Wagalatia 4:4 pia yafunza juu ya uzao wa ubikira “Mungu alimtuma Mwanawe ambaye amezaliwa na mwanamke.”

Kutoka kwa ukurasa huu, ni kweli kwamba kuzaliwa kwa Yesu kulikuwa kwa Roho Mtakatifu uliofanya kazi ndani ya Mariamu. Roho usio na mwili na mwili (tumbo ya Mariamu) vyote viliusika. Mariamu hangeweza kujitia mimba, kwa hali hiyo alitumika kama “chombo” ni Mungu pekee angeweza kutenda muujiza wa mwili na kuchukua ule wa mwanadamu.

Kukataa upatanisho wa Mariamu na Yesu itamaanisha kwamba Yesu hakuwa binadamu kabisa. Maandiko yafunza kwamba Yesu alikuwa binadamu, mwili kama wetu. Huu aliupokea kutoka kwa Mariamu. Kwa wakati huo, kikamilifu Yesu alikua Mungu, akiwa na mwili wa milele usio na mawaa (Yohana 1:14; 1Timotheo 3:16; Waebrania 2:14-17.)

Yesu hakuzaliwa kwa dhambi; hiyo ni kusema hakuwa na hali ya dhambi (Waebrania 7:26). Itaonekana kuwa hali ya dhambi itapitishwa kutoka kizazi hadi kizazi kingine kupitia kwa baba (Warumi 5:12, 17, 19). Uzao wa ubikira wa Yesu haukufuata hali ile ya kupitisha dhambi kutoka kizazi hadi kizazi na kumruhusu Mungu aishiye milele kuwa mwanadamu kamili.

Je Yesu alienda kuzumuni kati ya kifo chake na kufufuka?

Kuna kuchanganyikiwa kwingi kuhusu swali hili. Mwelekeo watoka kwa mafunzo ya mitume kumi na wawili ambao wasema, “alishuka kuzumuni.” Kuna maandiko machache ambayo kulingana na vile yametafsiriwa yanaelezea juu ya Yesu kuenda kuzimuni. Kwa kulichanganua swala hili, ni muimu kwanza kuelewa chenye Bibilia inafunza kuusu ulumwengu wa wafu.

Katika bibilia ya Kiibrania neno ambalo limetumika kuelezea ulimwengu wa wafu ni sheol. Linamaanisha “mahali pa wafu” au “mahali pa roho/mioyo iliyotuacha” Neno la kigiriki katika Agano Jipiya limetumika kusimamia ni “kuzumuni” ambalo pia lamaanisha “mahali pa wafu” maandiko mengine katika Agano Jipiya yanaonyesha kuwa “kuzumu” ni mahali pa muda, ambapo roho zinawekwa zinapongoja ufufuo na hukumu ya mwisho. Ufunuo 20:11-15 unatupa tofauti halisi kati ya maneno hayo mawili kifungoni (sheol) na kuzumuni (hades). Jehanamu (ziwa la moto) ni mahali pa kudumu na hukumu ya mwisho kwa wanaoangamia. Kuzimuni ni mahali pa muda. Kwa hivyo, la! hasha Yesu hakuenda kuzumuni kwa sababu kuzumuni ni ulimwengu ujao ndio neno hilo litakapokuwa likitumika baada ya kiti cheupe cha hukumu (Ufunuo 20:11-15).

Kuzumu ni ulimwengu umegawa mara mbili (Mathayo 11:23, 16:18; Luka10:15, 16:23; Matendo ya Mitume 2:27-31), mahali pa watakaokolewa na wanao angamia. Mahali pa watakaokolewa paliitwa “paradiso” na ni “kifua cha Abrahamu”. Mahali pa watakaokolewa na watakaoangamia pametenganishwa na “shimo kubwa” (Luka 16:26). Wakati Yesu alipaa mbunguni, aliwachukua wa hudumu wa paradiso waliokuwa waumini pamoja naye kwenda mbunguni (Waefeso 4:8-10). Mahali pa kuzumuni hapakubadilishwa. Wafu wote wasioamini walienda huko wakingoja hukumu yao ya mwhisho ambayo inakuja. Je Yesu alienda kifungoni mahali roho zilikuwa zikingoja hukumu?. Ndio kulingana na (Waefeso 4:8-10 na 1Petero 3:18-20).