A Grave Question

Why Did Jesus And The Prophets In The Bible Say Nothing Concerning Adam? (From the perspective of Christianity)

February 18, 2017

Nabi Adam dalam Agama Islam

1. According to the Holy Bible Adam is a significant character in the story of creation. He is the first human created by God. He has no father neither a mother. He is proclaimed as the son of God. A perfect creation with a free will.

2. Adam is married to Eve who also has no father and mother. Eve was created by God from the ribs of Adam. In the story of creation Eve was the first human clone.

3. God created mankind in the image of God to rule over the Earth. Somewhere on Earth is the Garden of Eden where God placed Adam and Eve as husband and wife naked without any clothing. They were also without any knowledge of good and evil because the first commandment of God to mankind was a diet law that forbids them from eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The fruit is harmful and poisonous as it will result in instant death if eaten.

4. Adam and Eve who were without any knowledge of good and evil did not eat the deadly fruit and willingly obeyed God until they were tempted and tricked by a smart and evil serpent. They both fell into sin when they disobeyed God.

5. Adam and Eve as well as the serpent were cursed by God who was so infuriated when He finally realized that both Adam and Eve had the knowledge of good and evil just like God. Eve was cursed with the pain of child bearing. Adam was cursed with working for a living. The serpent was cursed as a slithering dust eating reptile. Later as sinners, Adam and Eve were consequently clothed by God before God finally banished the couple because God does not want them to have eternal life by eating the fruit from the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden.

6. In Christianity the wrath of God with Adam was so bitter and the sin of Adam was so severe to the extent that even the descendant of Adam inherited the sin of Adam. In fact sin is so catastrophic that it is the cause of death amongst mankind and it also sever all relationship with God who is holy and pure. That relationship can only be restored by Jesus Christ who glorified God by giving his life for the redemption of our sins. Yet not a word from Jesus nor from any other prophet concerning Adam and the gravity of his fall from grace. As if the story of Adam is a non-issue. It’s like Adam never sin or is sinless.

7. Could it be that whatever transpired between Adam and God was viewed as a purely personal matter between Adam and God? That Adam was responsible only to himself alone and face the consequences alone without implicating others? That messengers are chosen among mankind by God and send as prophets to keep guiding mankind on the right path instead of a Christo-centric purpose for the glorification of God?

8. Meanwhile, what is the Islamic version and approach on the story of Adam in the light of the purpose of creation by God Almighty?

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Why Did Jesus Christ Take So Long To Save The Sinners?

February 11, 2017

Nabi Adam dalam Agama Islam

1. Before the creation of the world God had specifically chosen Jesus Christ as the savior and the redeemer of sins. It is a crucial aspect in the grand plan of God to reveal His glory. It was the very purpose of His creation. It is also the reason why Jesus Christ is so central in the greatest story ever told.

2. What is rather puzzling with the story is the time taken by Jesus Christ to fulfill his pre-ordained divine will. Somehow Jesus Christ took his own time and only came to save the descendants of Adam long after Adam had sin and infected every new born child of man with his sin. As if to Jesus Christ the glorification of God can wait and the plague of sin among mankind was not a grave matter.

3. What then is the fate of the untold numbers of the descendants of Adam who died before the crucifixion of Christ ? What is the status of their salvation? Do they go to heaven or to hell in the hereafter?

4. If by the grace of God the dead before Christ end up in heaven then why the need for any redemption of sin by Christ at all? Why even bother with sin and the consequences of sin in the first place when in the end everybody can all go to heaven? What’s Christianity for? Where then is the justice and wisdom of God if sinners are not disciplined and sentenced? What is there left to believe in? How then is God glorified?

5. If the dead before Christ end up in hell then is God just, merciful, compassionate and wise since their salvation rest solely on the redemption of sins by Christ? And they even include all the dead prophets of God too! How then is God glorified?

6. Come to think of it what about the salvation of the followers of Jesus Christ who died before his crucifixion? Where do they end up in the hereafter? Then again why Christ did not immediately redeem our sins at the earliest opportunity?

7. Stranger still Jesus Christ himself as well as all the prophets of God never utter a word about Adam nor about the tragic consequences of the sin of Adam neither about any redemption of sin by a pre-chosen lamb of God. A disquieting silence of the lamb. Why?

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What If God Planned It Differently?

February 4, 2017

Nabi Adam dalam Agama Islam

(This is the fifth article written on Christian Theology by a Muslim from the perspective of Christianity. This segment address the issue highlighted in the fourth article)

1. What is the fate of Christianity had God planned otherwise?

2. In other words, would Christianity exists or take a different form if the glory of God is revealed for example by His acts of guiding man towards the right relationship with Him rather than through saving man by offering His own incarnation in the form of Jesus Christ to Himself as a sin sacrifice?

3. Meaning what if God the forgiver of sin plan His glorification just by forgiving the repented without having to shed His own life and blood as His chosen sacrificial Lamb of God? What is the wisdom in the glory of killing the forgiver for forgiveness? Most importantly how did the sin of killing God The Son by man redeem the sin of man?

4. But who are we to question the wisdom of God? Irrespective of the question being hypothetical or not it’s a done deal. Not subject to contest. After all God is a perfect being. So His plan must be perfect. Why not just stick to His pre-ordained plan?

5. The pre-ordained God saving man plan is a savior worship plan. That is why Jesus Christ who redeemed the sin of man is exalted and worshipped to the extent that the faith is even named after him. Had The Holy Spirit redeemed the sin of man then the faith would not have been named Christianity. And The Holy Spirit would then be exalted and worshipped instead of Jesus Christ.

6. Then again God in His grace and justice planned it like that all by Himself. But what took The Son of God so long to come and save the sons of man?

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What Was The Plan Of God?

January 27, 2017

Nabi Adam dalam Agama Islam

1. The plan of God is about God. Everything that God does is for His own glory. And the ultimate purpose of the plan of God is for the glory of God.

2. Long before the creation of the world and before the existence of Adam as well as the lamb, God had chosen Jesus Christ as the lamb of God. A lamb of God is a figure of speech resembling the lamb that substituted Isaac as a sacrificial offering by Abraham to God. A premonition that Jesus Christ will someday be offered as a sacrifice to God. God had planned in advance in eternity to reveal His glory by His works in saving man.

3. That is the reason why Jesus Christ is the very apex of God’s purpose. He is the center of God’s plan, specifically the plan of redemption of the sin of man. It is through the precious blood of Jesus Christ without blemish or defect that God will display the glory of His grace to the believer and the glory of His wrath to the sinner. And the glory will even be revealed to the angels, demons and inanimate objects.

4. As part of the great plan God had to include sin. He uses sin and sinners to carry out His purpose. God therefore allowed sin in order to reveal His holiness and justice in punishing it as well as to reveal His grace and mercy in forgiving it.

5. In this context the fall of Lucifer and the fall of man are necessary evil because God in His wisdom planned it like that. So was the betrayal by Judas Iscariot. Everything can be traced back to His ultimate plan. His plan is inevitable. His way is mysterious.

6. God is a master planner. Would there be Christianity had God planned otherwise?

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The Good News Is Good

January 20, 2017

Nabi Adam dalam Agama Islam

This article is an essay on why Believing in ‘The Good News‘ is the key to paradise from the Christian perspective by a Muslim.

1. Christianity is founded on the consequences of sin. Widely known as the Original Sin committed by Adam. In fact ‘The Good News’ actually began with the bad news about Adam sinning against God and the complicated ramifications that followed. It was truly disastrous when Adam was not forgiven by God and banished from Eden. But the greatest tragedy of all is that everyone is infected with the sin of Adam. Somehow everyone swallowed that fatal bite too. It’s called the Inherited Sin. No one is spared. Everyone is a sinner.

2. That is the reason for the sin centered approach in their saving efforts of non Christians. The problem of sin is so perilous in Christianity to the extent that all the Doctrines of the faith found their roots on their Doctrine of Sin. Sin is the fundamental barrier between them and paradise. Reaching paradise is the ultimate station of eternal life. Everyone cannot enter paradise unless their sins are forgiven by God.

3. The story of Christianity is the story in search of forgiveness from God. A very long story and the shedding of blood. For without the shedding of blood there will be no forgiveness of sin. In other words, sin must be redeemed by means of a blood sacrifice. The price of a life. Bad news.

4. Christianity then is about sin and the redemption of sin. Someone must die because someone else sin. And that someone is Jesus Christ who offered Himself unblemished to God with his life and blood on the cross. Finally after all these years, Jesus Christ is the sin solution for the forgiveness problem of Adam. Now God can forgives. Thats ‘The Good News’ !

5. All it takes to be forgiven by God is Believing in ‘The Good News’ about Jesus Christ as the savior. Because only whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. So the good book of God said. And what better plan to believe in than the plan of God?

But what was the plan of God?

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How Do Christians See Non Christians?

January 13, 2017

Nabi Adam dalam Agama Islam

1. The fundamental difference between a Christian and a non Christian is Believe. A Christian is a firm believer in The Gospel or ‘The Good News’ that Jesus is the savior who has delivered mankind from sin and the consequences of sin. A non Christian on the other hand either never knew The Gospels or rejected it outright. Either way non Christians are not Believers.

2. According to Christianity God has forgiven every Christian. As one who has been freed from the bondage of sin and forgiven by God a Christian naturally look forward to a blissful eternal life in paradise. The ultimate pleasurable place after death.

3. Such is also the hope and wishes of Christians who are sincerely concerned with the fate of non Christians. The reason being the Christian concept of human nature as sinner from birth. Christians therefore see non Christians as sinners who are spiritually lost and forsaken by God in this life. In Christianity all forms of devotion and upright deeds of a non Christian are futile. Paradise is definitely out of the question. Instead they will be subjected to the eternal wrath of God In the after life. A terrifying torment of everlasting agony called hell.

4. With such a grim outlook for non Christians in the hereafter the Christians are encouraged to reach and save the ‘lost’ in this life while the windows of opportunity are still open. Some are ever eager to share ‘The Good News’ about believing in Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior. Some are determined to become productive Christians that actively draw non Christians into the fold of Christianity like good trees that bear good fruits. Some are duty bound to make disciples in all nations.

5. From the perspective of Christianity the way Christians see and approach non Christians lay down the foundation for spreading and sharing the faith with others. The Gospel are widely preached with the intention of converting others to the Christian faith. That is why Christianity is a missionary religion and Christians are found in many nations.

But why does Believing in The Gospel or ‘The Good News’ is so paramount that it holds the key to paradise in Christianity? That will be the next right question that need to be answered….

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Christians and Christianity from The Perspective of Christianity by A Muslim.

January 6, 2017

Pathfinder
Christianity is a missionary religion.

More than one third of the world population are Christians. Hence there is always the opportunity of interacting with a Christian especially in a multi-religious society. Surely there is wisdom in cultivating a harmonious inter-faith relationship with our Christian acquaintance by correctly understanding them from their own perspective. We should be encouraged to learn more about who they are, their belief and their way of life.
1. A Christian is a follower of the teachings of Jesus Christ. That was the description of a Christian by a Pastor to me. According to him Christians believe so because they are taught that Christianity was founded by Jesus Christ and the religion is based entirely on his life and teachings as revealed in their holy scripture The Bible.
1. Foremost in Christianity is the believe in the existence of an uncreated Godhead. A God who is a Holy Spirit as well as A Son of God and The Father at the same time. Transcendence and works in mysterious ways. Holy, divine and perfect. Eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, righteous and just. A supreme being who glorified Himself through His creation. Who rewards the righteous and punishes the sinners. Who created angels and mankind.
1. Adam was the first man created by God in His image to rule over the Earth. Yet Adam was not immediately sent to Earth. He was initially placed in Eden with a free will. The first commandment by God to mankind was a diet law. The fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was forbidden. Eating it would be fatal. Meanwhile Eve was the first woman cloned by God from the ribs of Adam as his companion and wife. Adam and Eve were obedient in Eden until Eve was tempted by a crafty serpent who convinced them to eat the forbidden fruit and sinned against God. The couple along with the serpent were subsequently cursed by God, denied eternal life and finally banished from Eden. This banishment is significant in Christianity as it marks a severed relationship between the holiness of God and sinners.
1. Christians believed that God did not forgive Adam. They are taught that the progeny of Adam inherited the unforgiven sin of Adam. All the offspring of Adam are sinners at birth as a consequence of this Inherited Sin. Like Adam they too suffer the alienation as sinners from God. They are denied fellowship with God nor can they earn forgiveness from God. As sinners they will all perish and shall not have eternal life.
1. Nevertheless God still yearn a relationship with mankind. In His grace and mercy God was willing to reinstate eternal life and forgive the sins of the descendants of Adam on a condition that the life of a sinless son of Adam be sacrificed to Him as a sin offering. Such is the plan of God for the salvation of sinners.
1. In view of all the sons of Adam are sinners since birth it is impossible for mankind to satisfy the condition of the sin offering. God however was so determined to forgive mankind that He Himself came to this world as a sinless man named Jesus Christ specifically to fulfill His very condition for the salvation of sinners.
1. Jesus Christ a God incarnate was born in Bethlehem, Jerusalem by a virgin Jew named Mary. Jesus therefore is a Jew by birth. He grew up in Nazareth. Not much is known about his childhood. At the age of thirty Jesus was baptized and began preaching in the Temple of the Jews. He preached the oneness of God as well as loving God and others. His teachings were an extension and fulfillment of the teachings of Moses and the Jewish prophets. He also performed miracles. He has twelve disciples and a large following. He was very influential. His movement was sometimes known as the ‘Jesus Movement’. He was passionately addressed as Great Master, Rabbi and figuratively as a ‘Son of God’ although he only addressed himself as the Son of Man. At the age of thirty-three Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot resulting in his crucifixion. He died crucified for the redemption of all the sins of all men from all time. On the third day Jesus was raised from the dead by God. Forty days later Jesus ascended to heaven. Jesus is now sitting at the right hand of God. He will return at the end of time for the glory of Israel.
1. Theologically anyone who profess and truly believes that Jesus Christ is God as well as a savior who died for all the sins of mankind and was raised from the dead by God is a Christian who has attain salvation and eternal life. He has re-established his relationship with God and is righteous in the eyes of God.
1. These premises will be the genus and basis of my understanding of Christians and Christianity from the Christian perspective particularly on its origin, cosmology, key players, observance and theological significance. It is not easy to understand any misunderstanding and to agree to disagree without a balance of knowledge. And like all lessons in learning it begins by asking the right question and more right questions…..
This blog will share all my right questions in the path of understanding on a weekly basis at my best. Any comments will be answered accordingly. Come journey along with me…
11 comments on Christians and Christianity from The Perspective of Christianity by A Muslim.

Christianity is a missionary religion.

This blog will share all my right questions in the path of understanding on a weekly basis at my best. Any comments will be answered accordingly. Come journey along with me…